Beyond the Bounds
by nitric.love
Summary: His heart was fixated on her and her alone. Nobody could take ever her away from him; no obstacle was too great and no foe too powerful. He would find a way to back his Kagome, the purity of his love penetrating and shattering the bounds of time. KouxKag
1. Chapter 1

_**~Beyond the Bounds~**_

_**Chapter One**_

"_His heart was fixated on her and her alone. Nobody could take ever her away from him; no obstacle was too great and no foe too powerful. He would find a way to back his Kagome, the purity of his love penetrating and shattering the bounds of time._

_Kagome finds herself trapped in the modern age and unable to pass through the Bone Eater's Well. Finally giving up all hope of ever seeing her friends again, she resumes her life as an ordinary school girl. Still, she wishes that some day, Inuyasha would find his way back to her. Little did she know that it would not be Inuyasha to come for her, but perhaps a wolf demon __instead. Kagome begins an all new adventure with Kouga as she develops new found abilities, builds new friendships and develops new feelings."_

_..._

The sun made a slow, lazy decent behind the rolling, grassy hills of feudal Japan. The sky was painted a unique array of reds, oranges, purples and pinks. The surrounding forest was simply serene as birds sang their choruses of goodbyes to the day and welcomed the oncoming night. A peculiar group strolled lazily down a beaten path through a forest near the northern mountains. The party consisted of two women; one of them a demon slayer, the other dressed in a green and white uniform. Alongside them were two demons, a fox and a cat; a lustful monk clad in purple and a silver haired hanyou, who walked at a slightly faster pace ahead of the group.

"Perhaps it would be best if we were to set up camp for tonight? It's beginning to get dark" Miroku observed, deciding to break the steady silence that had fallen amongst them.

"Heh, well I guess the monk's right guys, it's gettin' late and I'm freakin' hungry" was Inuyasha's crude remark.

They managed to find a comfortable spot at the base of a large tree nestled deep within the forest. Kagome immediately busied herself by emptying various contents from her large yellow backpack that she and her friends would need to settle down for the night. Shippo and Kirara raced off into the forest to gather fire wood for the night, while Sango and Miroku assisted Kagome with her things and assembling their camp. Inuyasha had promptly left to scout to area for any signs of danger, as he normally would. Such was their daily routine. Each of them played a certain role within their little group since they had all become companions several years ago, resulting in a unique team dynamic that strengthened the bonds between them…albeit it, in some ways still unknown them. Within the hour, the group had eaten dinner and relaxed around the warmth of their campfire.

It was a peaceful evening, the air slightly cool yet not quite chilly. Kagome sat on top of her sleeping bag with Shippo cuddled in her arms. Sango, who was nearby, was cuddling her own furry feline companion. Miroku chose to lean against the base of the grand tree, his eyes closed in meditation, while Inuyasha lounged on one of the branches of the same tree. The light chatter that persisted among them earlier had just begun to die down as the evening wore on. They sat in a comfortable silence as the crackling of their campfire began to woo them off to sleep. Kagome shot up instantly with a small gasp.

"What's the matter, Kagome?" Sango asked.

"A jewel shard. There's only one but its energy…it's been tainted! And it's heading straight for us!" she looked towards the west.

The warriors were all now on high alert. Kagome readied her bow and sacred arrows immediately. Kirara transformed into her larger form and stood by Sango's side who had readied her Hiraikotsu. Miroku also prepared his spirit wards. Inuyasha leaped off of his spot in the tree, Tetsaiga drawn and ready.

"The jewel shardsss! Sssurrender the jewel shardsss to me!" came a booming voice from somewhere amongst the trees, but where? It was close by but it seemed to be coming from all directions at once.

"Where the hell are you? Show yourself!" Inuyasha barked out into the forest. He couldn't pick up the demon's scent and at the moment, he couldn't hear any movement either. Kagome squinted and she could see the faint glimmer of the jewel amongst the trees.

"Inuyasha, I see the jewel shard! It's over there!"

"Huh? Where? I don't see anything!" Inuyasha spat out in aggravation. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with some coward demon that was too afraid to challenge him head on. The hanyou's golden eyes scanned the forest intently, yet he couldn't see the demon.

"I think the demon is invisible or something, I don't know! But he's really close!" Kagome knew she wasn't going crazy. It was as if the shard was floating around in mid-air.

The chameleon demon chuckled as he came into view. Its large body was several shades of green with ridges and spikes running along the length of its back. Blade-like teeth ran along the outside of its lips.

"What the heck is that _thing_!" Shippo exclaimed in disgust.

"Girl, you musst give me the sacred jewel shardsss or die!" The demon slurred as it shot out its rubbery tongue at Kagome.

"Heh! I don't think so!" Inuyasha leaped and swung Tetsuaiga over his head to bring his sword down on the demon, but it easily dodged his attack and cloaked itself again. Inuyasha cursed under his breath. The demon gave a haughty laugh as he slammed his large tail on the ground to create a fissure right underneath them. Miroku, Sango and Shippo were safely whisked away on Kirara's back while Kagome was snatched away by Inuyasha.

"How do we take down an opponent we can't even see?" Sango exclaimed.

"There _has_ to be a way. I can see his shard but I can't exactly tell Inuyasha where it is!" Kagome narrowed her eyes at the tiny, glowing fragment. Then she noticed it. As the demon moved towards them through a clearing in the forest, she could barely make out its shape. She could see a faint outline of it as it moved, its legs, its eyes…she could see them. Then it hit her.

"Inuyasha, you should be able to see the demon under the moonlight! We just need to bring him out and away from these trees!"

"Gotcha, c'mon let's go!" Inuyasha gave Kagome a few seconds to climb onto his back before he sprinted off through the forest with the others following closely behind.

"Oh no you don't!" The demon growled out as he gave chase to the hanyou carrying the girl with the jewel shards. He flicked out his tongue at Inuyasha but he skillfully evaded the attack. Thanks to his sensitive hearing and the fact that the demon was much closer now, he was able to jump and dodge its attacks almost effortlessly. Inuyasha decided it was high time to pick up the speed and get the hell out of this forest and just hope that once he did, he would be able to see this demon and take care of it once and for all.

They entered an open field where the full moon stood directly above their heads. Kagome slid off of Inuyasha's back and tried to pinpoint the fragment's exact location. Her eyes widened slightly.

"There!"

It was embedded within the reptile's chest, right next to his heart. The demon was now somewhat visible thanks to the light of the moon.

"Keh, that's all I need to know" Squinting his eyes to be sure he had is target marked, Inuyasha leaped up and held his sword high over his head once more. He brought it down mercilessly upon the demon's head, slicing it into two clean halves.

The demon's remains hit the ground with a loud thud as they came back into clear view. Shortly after, the body disintegrated into dust, leaving the tiny black jewel fragment behind. Kagome approached the jewel shard and picked it up carefully, purifying it on contact.

"That certainly was something. Well done, Inuyasha" Miroku commented as Kirara landed nearby.

"Yeah, what a strange demon. I've never come across a demon that could camouflage itself. Not to that extent. It's quite odd." Sango thought aloud.

"At least we've got another jewel shard! Good work guys!" Shippo piped happily.

…

Naraku scowled as he peered into the mirror of his incarnation, Kanna, yet the silent child made no reaction to her master's apparent frustration. He watched as the travelling group found another place to set up their small camp for the night and slept peacefully after having just won another jewel fragment. They slept peacefully knowing they had just defeated another threat and were one step closer to finding the remaining Shikon jewel fragments. Peace. Comradery. Love. He frowned at the thought. In the very depths of his soul, he despised what they had, for it was something he would never achieve. Naraku quickly pushed those feelings of resentment away from him for they were simply the petty desires of that fool Onigumo, who resided within him.

"So it seems that my plan has failed. That wretch was not worth the effort. Apparently, his invisibility techniques were insufficient in disguising a tainted shard from her perception..."

But of course, why wouldn't it be? He should have known that _Kikyo's_ reincarnation would possess enough spiritual power to see through such a foolish trick. He'd underestimated her. Naraku abruptly got up from his sitting position on his bed of silks and wandered to a nearby window of his castle, his grimace never leaving his face.

"Inuyasha's whore. I need to find a way to rid myself of that bitch who can see the sacred shards, but how?" He leaned against the wall and folded his arms as he peered out of the window in silent contemplation.

'_Killing her may prove to be too difficult at the moment. She is almost always with those friends of hers…especially Inuyasha.' _Naraku thought darkly to himself as he recalled his last encounter with Inuyasha and his blade. He had narrowly managed to escape with his life and was forced into fleeing. He needed this time to replenish his body and so was forced to hide in his castle for the time being. Naraku's face contorted into even more of a scowl as he thought of this.

"Master, what of the Bone Eater's Well? Without it, she cannot pass through to this time." Kanna stated in a monotone voice. Naraku turned his attention towards the little girl and smirked as he began contemplating a new plan.

"Come to think of it Kanna, it should not be too much of an issue to trap the young priestess in her own time where she belongs, even if she does carry shards of the sacred jewel with her." Naraku calmly stroked his chin with his thumb and pointer finger as a wicked smile slowly spread upon his lips.

He knew the implications though. If the girl took the jewel shards with her back to her time, and she were trapped there, they would be lost forever. The Shikon Jewel would never be complete. But did that really matter? After all, one must make sacrifices in order to achieve greatness. He would collect the remaining shards for himself and become the most powerful demon in Japan.

"Without their little jewel detector, Inuyasha and his pathetic friends will be rendered helpless" A cold chilling laugh came from his lips. "As for sealing off the Well _permanently_, I know exactly what to do…"

* * *

><p><strong>Update - 2.11.2015:<strong> This is the revised first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I don't remember if they mentioned it in the show, but I don't think its too farfetched to assume that Naraku knows about Kagome being from the future. After all, Inuyasha and his friends are the biggest threat to him since they all have different reasons for pursuing him. There is Sesshomaru but I always got the feeling that he isn't as concerned about him as he is with Inuyasha's group. In order to defeat your enemy, you'd learn everything you can about them. That being said, he's got an advantage. Kanna can show him anything he wants through her mirror, so I'd think he would've done quite a bit of spying and learned about Kagome's time travel eventually. So in order to cripple them, he'd need to get rid of Kagome first.

...

**So this is my second attempt at writing a KougaxKagome fic! Really, this is the best pairing in the series! I'm a bit rusty at writing but this idea has been bugging me for awhile and I just had to turn it into a fanfiction! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**.Chapter Two**_

_**...**_

The sun had just begun to rise over feudal Japan but the air still remained quite cool. The forest began to come alive with the many different creatures that dwelled in it. Morning had come a little too soon for the jewel hunting group. However, they still began a small fire for their campsite and prepared breakfast with the various foods Kagome had brought from her time.

It was a fairly typical morning for the group. After defeating the chameleon demon the previous night, Kagome and Sango decided to soak in a nearby hot spring for a while before heading out for the day. It had been several days since they had camped near a hot spring so the girls simply couldn't pass up the opportunity for a relaxing bath. Of course, it wasn't long until Inuyasha and Shippo had gotten into an argument over who would have the pleasure of eating the last bit of beef jerky. Unfortunately, both canine demons held a deep adoration for the taste of meat…

"No that's mine Inuyasha, give it back!" Shippo squealed.

"No way ya little runt, I saw it first!"

"But Kagome said I could have it before you even saw it!"

"Heh, you think I give a hell what Kagome said! I saw it first so it's mine!" Inuyasha yelled followed by delivering a swift bop to the young demon's head. Shippo's eyes welled with tears at the throbbing pain on his head.

"Now, now, play nice you two. Inuyasha, Shippo is just a child, why not let him have the treat?" Miroku reprimanded while sipping some of his tea.

"Screw that, I'm hungry as heck. Kagome has other stuff in her bag to eat right? The little pipsqueak can get somethin' outta there." Inuyasha was about to toss the meat into his mouth when a blur of orange and blue zipped past him and snatched the beef jerky away from him.

"Huh? What the…?" He blinked a few times, dumbfounded. Where did his beef jerky go?

Shippo ran off into the forest like the Devil himself was at his heels, and indeed the Devil was. That Devil's name was Inuyasha. Miroku sighed; it was always the same with those two.

"_Well… since those two are occupied, I think that I should pay a visit to Kagome and Sango, just to ensure of their well-being. After all, they are all alone in that hot spring and danger could be lurking anywhere. I best make sure they're okay"_ Miroku thought to himself with false concern and a lecherous smirk plastered on his face. Setting down his cup of tea, he wandered off into the forest.

He carefully made his way through the bushes nestled around the hot spring where the two women chatted with each other. Miroku, who was very careful not to make any noises, kneeled to the damp ground and peered through the bushes. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw. Kagome was sitting in the water with her back to him but Sango stood about waist deep in the water giving him a perfect view of her body. His jaw dropped slightly as he eyed her and took in every detail, every curve of her body. Sango had been washing her hair and laughing at something Kagome said but Miroku didn't care right now. He was too caught up by the beautiful demon slayer. Her long raven hair cascaded down her shoulders as she ran her fingers through it. It also tumbled around her supple breasts, framing them almost flawlessly. Miroku's eyes drifted downwards and lingered on her pink nipples that had become erect as a result of the cool breeze wafting around the area. He wanted so much to just take each of those nipples and nibble on them tenderly…teasing, while softly caressing her breasts. If only Sango would let him, he would. Just the thought of it caused his cock to throb beneath his robes and he rubbed himself in response. But unfortunately for him, Miroku's peep show didn't last very long…

"Kaaaagooooomeee!" Shippo called as he leaped out of the bushes and straight into Kagome's arms which instinctively wrapped around the little fox. She and Sango stopped midway into their conversation and were very surprised to see the little demon.

"Shippo, what's going on? What are you doing here?" Kagome eyed him curiously as he quickly gobbled the beef jerky in his tiny paws.

"Inuyasha's coming!" he screamed with a mouth full of food. Neither of the women quite understood what he said until they saw a flash of red and white. Then they got a pretty damn good idea of where this was going. Their suspicions were only confirmed when they heard:

"Damn it Shippo! I'm gonna kill you!" Inuyasha came charging through the bushes in a blind rage but he didn't notice an uplifted tree root and he tripped. Shippo got frightened when he saw the hanyou so he leaped out of Kagome's arms, leaving Inuyasha to fall and land with his face planted right in between her breasts. It took Inuyasha a second to actually realize where he was and when he did, he blushed furiously. Kagome, who was taken aback by what had just happened shoved Inuyasha away from her and did the only thing she could think to do at the moment.

"INUYASHA, SIT BOY!"

"Arrgh!" The poor hanyou couldn't have prepared himself for the amount of water he'd swallow when he sank to the bottom of the hot spring. Inuyasha ranted in his mind with all sorts of obscenities regarding the young kitsune and what he'd do to the little runt when he got his claws on him.

Miroku sighed_. 'All good things must come to an end I suppose. Now it's time for me to take my leave before anyone notices…' _But what Miroku heard next caused him to freeze dead in his tracks.

"Oh hey there Miroku! I didn't know you were here too. What are you doing in the bushes? Have you come to take a bath too?" Shippo piped happily, unknowingly giving Miroku a sure death sentence. The monk's eyes widened and he froze; his cover was definitely blown now. Kagome and Sango turned their dangerous gazes towards the bushes where he hid. Oh great, now the lustful monk had been spying on them too. Perfect. _'Thanks a lot Shippo; you seem to be putting everyone in awkward situations today' _Well, Miroku decided that he had best try to redeem himself, though he had a pretty good feeling it would not work. He got up from his spot in the bushes and was met by two very angry glares from Kagome and Sango who had already covered their bodies and were out of the spring by now.

"Well, I figured that I should check up on Sango and Kagome, just to be sure they were okay and really, I didn't mean to-" He was cut short by a large rock that Sango had hurdled to his face, leaving a dark purple mark under his eye and cheek.

"Ugh just save it you perverted monk" Sango spat out. Kagome turned to Inuyasha who had just gotten over the subjugation spell and was shaking himself dry. "Inuyasha, what the hell is going on here? Why is it so difficult for me and Sango to just enjoy a nice morning bath?"

"Hey! Don't blame me! Blame that little maggot over there that took _my_ beef jerky and ran off with it!" Inuyasha bellowed, referring to Shippo. "If he didn't steal it from me in the first place then none of this would've ever happened! So there, it wasn't even my fault!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and glared back at Kagome with the same intensity as she did.

"Oh god, Inuyasha I can't believe you chased Shippo like that over a stupid piece of meat! He's just a kid, you should know better than that!" Kagome rubbed her temples in frustration. _'He can be so impossible to reason with, it's actually amazing what I have to put up with.'_

"Hey! It's not even me you should be mad at! What about Miroku? He was the one spyin' on you guys in those bushes! Not like I meant to barge in on your stupid bath!"

Miroku raised his hands in defence. "No, no, I assure you, I didn't-" He was cut off by the angry glares Kagome and Sango shot back at him. "Never mind…" Miroku mumbled before he turned and headed back to camp in defeat. Yes, indeed it was a typical morning for the jewel hunting group.

…

Naraku toyed with a small sack that sat in the palm of his hand, allowing the strings to dangle between his fingers. He smirked evilly as he clutched it in his fist. It was just about time now. His plan would be well underway quite soon. In time, he would be rid of that wench, Kagome and her jewel seeing capabilities. "Tesoha!"

Within seconds, a tall man clad in navy blue robes emerged from the shadows and bowed respectfully to Naraku. His silky jet black hair closely resembled that of his Master's, but was kept in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. His stoic pale grey eyes stared out in front of him as he kept his eyes trained to the floor while he bowed. "Yes Naraku, what is it?" Naraku did not turn to face his newest incarnation but kept his eyes focused on Kanna's mirror.

"I think that it is about time I put my plan into action" Naraku watched as the mirror revealed a very angry Kagome storming through the forest near Kaede's village, heading towards the well…alone. A menacing smile played upon his lips. Naraku tossed the sack over his shoulder carelessly, expecting his incarnation to catch it. He did and he examined the sack for a moment before turning his attention back towards his master.

"You know exactly what to do with that Tesoha. Don't disappoint me now"

"Yes Naraku." And with that, he dissolved into the shadows of Naraku's castle.

…

Inuyasha sat fuming as he had just lost yet another battle with Kagome. After the hot spring incident, she had decided she wanted to take a day or two to go home to "clear her head". Inuyasha of course didn't think she had a real good reason for going home. She was just wasting precious time. _'I need to stock up on supplies for us anyways'_, she had said. Heh, well she was just looking for an excuse to run home. Inuyasha always hated when Kagome went back to her time. They lost precious jewel hunting time while they waiting around in Kaede's village for her to come back. So he was stuck hanging around with pretty much nothing to do, just his luck. Of course Inuyasha had tried to stop Kagome but after a few snide and hurtful remarks from him, it didn't end quite well for the hanyou at all.

"Damn it Kagome, I don't have time for this."

…

"I can't believe that pig headed Inuyasha! Who does he think he is? He can't stop me from going home if I want to. 'Jewel shards', is that all he cares about?" Kagome ranted to no one in particular as she made her way towards the well. Even though she was angry, Kagome still couldn't help but still feel somewhat embarrassed by her and Inuyasha's encounter in the hot spring earlier that day. She wasn't even sure if she was upset by the fact that Inuyasha had just seen her naked or if it was the way he tried to tell her what she could or couldn't do.

"_Inuyasha's never seen me naked before, and come to think of it, no guy ever has. Yet he of all people had to be the one who ended up with a face full of my boobs…"_ she folded her arms to her chest as she blushed at the memory. _"Oh god, I wonder what Inuyasha thinks about what happened? Is he as embarrassed about it as I am? If he is, he sure does as good job at hiding it. Well, it's probably nothing he hasn't seen before right? I mean, he was with Kikyo for a good while, maybe they…" _Kagome stopped in mid-thought. Why would she be thinking about something like that? _"Gah get it together Kagome! Let's not think about things like that!" _But still she couldn't help but wonder… Before she knew it, Kagome had arrived at the well and with one quick sweep, she leaped over the edge. She smiled as the familiar pink glow of the well's magic surrounded her; it was good to be home. She looked up to see the familiar wooden roof of the Higurashi shrine. Climbing the ladder, she hoisted herself over the rim, along with her large backpack and sighed in relief. She opened the sliding doors of the shrine that housed the well and revealed the world she knew all too well. It was about evening time in modern Japan as Kagome jogged towards her home. She knew her family would be having diner about this time so she hurried in to see if she could catch a bite to eat.

"Kagome you're back!" Kagome's mom got up from her spot on the couch and embraced her daughter. Kagome returned her hug, squeezing her mother tight. "Hey mom, I missed you. Where's grandpa and Souta?"

"Oh your brother is in his room doing his homework and your grandfather just went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. We just finished dinner, but would you like me to make you something to eat?"

"Sure mom, but can you bring it to my room? I'm feeling super tired and I want to lay down for a while"

Kagome's mom smiled warmly. "Sure, I'll make your favorite dish for you" And with that she turned her back and headed towards the kitchen.

Kagome climbed up the stairs and took a left, towards her room. As she entered her room she tossed her giant bag down on the floor and collapsed on her bed immediately. She let out a heavy sigh_. 'God, I never imagined my bed could feel so heavenly…So much better than sleeping on the cold ground…' _ But then she began to think. She actually didn't mind sleeping on the cold ground one bit if it meant she'd be surrounded by her friends from the feudal era, especially Inuyasha. _'Ugh, why would I be thinking about that jerk right now!' _Kagome sighed again as she rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling above her, the events of that morning still replaying in her mind. She couldn't help but blush at how Inuyasha got so close up under her breasts. "Oh god that was so _embarrassing_! I can't seem to get over it!" Kagome shouted to no one in particular.

Just then, Kagome's mom came in with a tray in her hands. "Honey, are you alright? I heard you saying something just now." Kagome looked over to her mom as she placed the tray on her desk. "No, just talking to myself, it's nothing important. Thanks for the dinner, mom" Kagome's mother smiled, nodded and left the room. Kagome sat up and went over to her desk to enjoy her warm meal. She noticed one of her textbooks sitting on the desk and her thoughts instantly drifted to her schoolwork_. 'I've been so occupied with collecting jewel shards lately, I'm sure I'm starting to fail in school. At this rate, I might have to drop out…but it's my senior year. If I drop out now, what sort of future would I have? I certainly won't stay in the feudal era; I won't have any reason to…" _Kagome had to face the fact thatafter they defeated Naraku, there wouldn't be any real reason for her to stay in feudal Japan anymore. Miroku and Sango would probably settle down together. Inuyasha and Kikyo…well of course they would settle down together too. She knew Inuyasha didn't love her, he loved Kikyo. How could she possibly compare to her? It was so overbearing to think about all these things at once so she decided: Tomorrow, she would go to school and try to save her grades…and her future.

…

A figure watched the girl climb into the well from the shade of the surrounding bushes. She was rather pretty, it thought. Though, he was quite surprised that she couldn't sense his presence with her priestess abilities. His master had done a fine job in giving him the ability to disguise himself so thoroughly. Now that the girl was gone, Tesoha emerged from the shadows and approached the well silently. His long, navy blue robes trailed behind him as he moved gracefully across the grass towards the lip of the well. Reaching into his clothing, he revealed a small sack and began undoing the strings that kept it closed.

Once open, he emptied its contents over the rim over the well. A purple powder tumbled out of the sack and scattered all around the well and dissipated. The demon then stretched both of his clawed hands out over the well and chanted an incantation. A lavender glow surrounded The Bone Eater's Well and as quickly as it came, it was gone. He peered down into the well to ensure that his job was done. He could sense that the well's energy had faded and he knew immediately that he had done well. Perfect. Naraku would definitely be pleased.

…

Kagome was met almost immediately by her three friends Eri, Yuki and Ayumi in the school yard. They excitedly ran towards her to greet her. "Kagome!" they all chimed in unison. Kagome gave them a warm smile and hugged each of them.

"Oh Kagome, your grandfather told us all about your terrible case of leprosy! You poor girl are you feeling okay? We've really missed you a lot ya know!" Ayumi asked in concern as they walked with Kagome towards the main building. She gave a wry smile. _'Oh boy, leprosy? Yeah, thanks for turning me into a leper grandpa'_

"Oh uh yea, I went to see this amazing doctor. He, uh, prescribed something that really did the trick!" Was Kagome's terrible lie.

"That's wonderful Kagome! Come on, we have so much to tell you before school starts!" And with that, Kagome was dragged off by her three overenthusiastic friends.

School that day was pretty stressful. Kagome had no idea that she had missed out on so much work. By the end of the day, her schoolbag was overflowing with textbooks and term papers she'd need to complete in order to have a chance at graduating this year. To be honest, she had no idea how she'd be able to catch up on all this work if she'd be heading back through the well in a few days. Kagome couldn't help but sigh. She had been in countless battles against some of the most deadly demons in all of Japan, but high school was definitely fiercer than any demon she'd ever faced. How would she ever make it through this battle?

The sun began to set as she approached the steps that led up to the Higurashi shrine and began the tiring walk up them. When she finally got to her home, she could already smell the diner her mother must have been preparing for the family. If there was one thing, she could always look forward to, it was her mother's cooking. Kagome had really enjoyed diner that night. It had been a while since she had gotten the chance to sit and spend time with her family and just chat at the dinner table. After clearing her plate, she reluctantly headed up to her room to tackle the mountain of school work waiting for her. Kagome woke up around 3:44 in the morning in a small pool of her own drool. She sat up and stretched as she looked at her desk clock. "I didn't even realize when I fell asleep. Geez" She looked down at her slightly damp textbook and suddenly she found that she wasn't in the mood for anymore school work tonight. Closing the book, she dragged herself over to her bed and slowly drifted off back into a deep sleep.

…

Kagome crammed and jammed several packs of ramen noodles into her large yellow backpack. After a few more minutes of stuffing, she was finally able to close the top of her bag. Next, she packed a small pack of brand new coloring crayons for Shippo and some body wash and shampoo for her and Sango. She stood up and inspected the overstuffed bag closely. Deciding that she was pleased with it, she hoisted it up over her shoulder and jogged down the stairs, and into the kitchen where her mom was washing a few dishes. Kagome gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her grandfather, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning newspaper.

"Alright, I'll see you guys whenever, I'm off!"

Her mom was surprised as she turned to face her daughter. "You're leaving already Kagome? But you just got here two days ago, why are you leaving so soon?" She knew her mom worried about her all the time like all mothers do, but she had a good reason to worry indeed.

"I know mom but Inuyasha and the others are probably a bit irritable because we've taken a break from shard hunting. So I gotta get back as soon as I can" Kagome's mother understood that perfectly. "Alright dear just be safe"

Kagome approached the sliding doors of the Higurashi shrine and opened them. She took one last look behind her at the home she knew all too well before walking into the shrine and closing the sliding doors behind her. "Well, here I go" And without any further thought, she climbed over the rim of the well and leaped into the darkness. Kagome waited for the familiar soft pink light to surround her, but it never came. Instead, her body collided with the cold earth underneath the well rather ungracefully. Her eyes widened as she realized she hadn't been taken back in time. She looked up to see the roof of the shrine still above her head. _'What's going on? This is…odd. Maybe I should try again' _So Kagome did just that. She climbed out of the well and repeated the process only to collide with the earth again. She couldn't travel back to the feudal era? Something was definitely wrong. 

…

**Well that's it for Chapter two. And thank you for those who reviewed. ^-^ Hopefully I'll have chapter three up and going pretty soon. By the way, Im not sure if I got Kagome's friends' names right…hmm. If I didn't, Ill probably change it later on but I don't think it makes a real difference. And when will our beloved wolf prince appear in the story? R&R to find out **


	3. Chapter 3

_**.Chapter Three**_

…

Kagome sat at the bottom of the cold dark well, absolutely confused as to what she should do next. For some reason, she hadn't been able to travel back to the feudal era as she normally would. This was certainly strange. She didn't carry any of the sacred jewel shards on her person. She didn't have to. She'd discovered a few months ago that she was able to travel back and forth through the well without them, and so could Inuyasha. Since then, whenever she went back home, she'd leave the shards with her friends. It couldn't be that, so what else?

Kagome climbed the ladder back to the top of the well and sat on the rim, peering down into the darkness. _'That's really weird…the only other time I haven't been able to pass through the Well is when Inuyasha blocked it off that one time.'_ Kagome's mind drifted off back to that day when she'd gone home and Inuyasha had gotten so furious with her, he had stuffed an entire tree down the Well so that she couldn't come back_. 'So that must be it then. Something must be stuck in the Well preventing me from getting back to the feudal era. But what could it be? Inuyasha couldn't have been that mad that he seal off the Well again right?' _Kagome shook her head. _'No, of course not. That can't be right. We've gotten into worst arguments than this before. He wouldn't do that. And besides, we've still got a lot more jewel shards to find, so then there has to be something else going on with the Well on the other side.' _She was tempted to try jumping in one last time but she'd rather not eat dirt then became clear to Kagome that there was nothing else she could do about the situation, so she turned and made her way to the doors of the shrine. _'Well whatever is going on with the Well in Inuyasha's time, I'm sure when he notices that I haven't come back yet, he'll come over to get me. He always does. Maybe then he'll figure out what's going on.' _

"Can't travel back in time through the Well you say?" Kagome's entire family looked at her with wide eyes at what she was saying to them across the dinner table. Kagome's grandfather cleared his throat before continuing, "Well this is certainly something Kagome. Could it be that the Well has lost its time travelling abilities?" He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Ugh so that means I'm gonna have to deal with Kagome's hogging the bathroom in the mornings again? No way!" Souta whined. He folded his arms with a pout.

"Hey, I may have to spend a lot of time in the feudal era but don't forget that I still live here you little brat. I can stay here as long as I want to" _'Not like I have a choice now anyways.'_ Kagome added mentally. Souta still didn't seem too pleased about his big sister having to stay home though. Kagome's grandfather spoke again.

"Kagome, what exactly do you think could've happened to the Well? Did something seem strange about it before you came home?" Kagome honestly didn't know what to make of the situation. "No, it seemed perfectly fine when I jumped in. I'm not sure what could've happened. All I know is that there is something very wrong on the other side of the Well. Whatever it is, I'm sure Inuyasha and the others will figure it out…" _'Until then, I guess there's not much else to do but to stay here and catch up on some school work…' _

…

Inuyasha's fists collided with the trunk of an oak tree sending numerous splinters of its bark flying in random directions. He then removed his fist to reveal a deep indent in the tree trunk. His face was contorted into a vicious scowl with a clear view of his sharp fangs. A deep growl resounded from within his throat as he turned his attention to another tree beside it.

"DAMNIT KAGOME TWO WEEKS IS LONG ENOUGH!" the hanyou roared out to no one in particular. Inuyasha had been forced to wait in Kaede's village while Kagome had returned to her time and he wasn't coping with the long wait quite well at all.

He knew he should've gone back for her days ago but no, Sango and Miroku had managed to talk him down, telling him that he should give Kagome her space and that she'd probably be even angrier if Inuyasha came to her time to argue with her about it. Well look at where sitting around waiting on Kagome had gotten them now? She'd been taking her own sweet time _as usual, _he got bored out of his mind, worst of all, they lost precious jewel hunting time. Just his luck. Miroku, Sango and Shippo had taken an afternoon stroll through the forest while gathering some medicinal herbs for Kaede when they had taken notice of their hanyou friend venting his frustration.

"Boy, what a psyco that guy is. Those poor trees. Could he be missing Kagome that much?" Shippo spoke as they watched Inuyasha's destructive tirade from a spot where they were sure he wouldn't notice them.

Sango sighed. "Maybe. But Kagome usually isn't gone this long either. It's just not like her."

Miroku shrugged. "Inuyasha will get over himself eventually when Kagome decides to return. Whatever the case, I'm enjoying the little vacation" They all agreed and leisurely went about their day.

…

_Three months later.._

Kagome sat utterly bored and on the brink of keeling over in the classroom as her teacher dragged the lesson on and on for what seemed like an eternity. She stared blankly down at the text book in front of her and her mind couldn't help wandering far beyond the classroom. Her mind wandered back about 500 years in the past and focused on a certain silver haired hanyou. It had now been almost three months and he _still_ hadn't come back to get her. But why? Kagome's mind went over all the possible reasons her hanyou still hadn't showed up. She knew for sure he needed her to find the rest of the jewel shards…_'Jewel shards…is that the only reason Inuyasha would come to look for me?' _Or what if they couldn't figure out what was wrong with the well and she was stuck here forever? She'd never see Sango, Miroku, or Shippo again…she'd never see Inuyasha again. Kagome mentally slapped herself. She couldn't start thinking like that; she needed to have faith that her friends would figure this out. But by the way things were looking, she couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. Her mind began to drift elsewhere. She'd been staying in her own era for a few months now but she couldn't help but feel herself slowly becoming detached from the things of this time. Even though this was her life, her home, she still felt out of place, like she didn't completely fit into the picture. Kagome knew that she would always love her family and her friends but it became clear to her that they made up only one part of her life. Things had changed. She had met Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, travelled with them, faced countless demons together… They had all grown on her, she couldn't deny that fact. They shared a major part of her life now and so she couldn't help but feel a sort of emptiness inside her when she couldn't be with them. She felt so incomplete without her friends and her hanyou. Reflecting on her past adventures with the group, it became so obvious to Kagome why they had grown on her so much. And Inuyasha. Despite his cockiness, stubbornness and his terrible attitude, Kagome missed him the most. If she ended up being sealed off from there forever, and not being able to see him again…

"Kagome?" She was snapped out of her thoughts by her teacher. Lifting her head from the palm of her hand, she turned to see just about half the class as well as her teacher looking at her. "Kagome will you answer the question or not? I've been calling you the past few minutes now" She suddenly felt the awkwardness of the situation. Had she been spacing out that much? How embarrassing! "Erm.." She thought for a moment, trying to recall any questions she may have heard her teacher ask. After a few seconds she replied. "Uhm.. would that be the year1872?" Her teacher eyed her suspiciously for a few seconds, before slowly nodding and resuming his lesson.

'_Phew that was a close one. Come on Kagome, focus.' _Kagome had to mentally coach herself. She was never one to purposely draw attention to herself and the last thing she needed right now was another awkward situation like that. Just then, the final bell rung: school was done for the day, thank goodness. _'I could really use a nice warm bath and a nap right now'_. Kagome closed her textbook and packed up her things. As she was about to leave, she heard a voice call to her. "Ms. Higurashi, I'd like to have a word with you if you don't mind." Kagome stopped dead in her tracks. She had a gut feeling her teacher wouldn't let her spacing out go unaddressed. So she knew a lecture was coming, she just knew it. Sighing in defeat, she turned around and sat at a desk up front and she waited for the rest of the students to clear the classroom. As soon as the classroom was empty, she turned her gaze to the teacher that had proceeded to sit on his desk in front of her.

"Yes, what is it Mr. Tsu?" Kagome knew there'd be a good, long lecture on the way soon enough. It was always the same with this guy. The man folded his arms and watched Kagome intensely. His thick grey eyebrows furrowed in contemplation as he watched her and she immediately became uncomfortable.

"Ms. Higurashi, I must say it's very good to see you back in school and working hard again. You know, you were sick for the better part of last year and I was sure you wouldn't make it into your senior year. A lot of your teachers including me assumed you would just drop out of school altogether. But here you are. You've somehow managed to pull through and it's truly a remarkable feat." He spoke slowly, his gaze never turning away from her.

Okay, now this was a little strange to Kagome. She wasn't sure what he was getting at. Mr. Tsu was a very stern and sometimes a cruel man. He was always such a hard ass and he hardly ever praised any of his students for anything, let alone her, so why now? She wasn't exactly sure how to reply to what he had just said. "Thank you sir" Kagome still felt somewhat uncomfortable around the large man and she avoided making any eye contact with him.

He got up from his spot on his desk and strolled over to a nearby window, gazing down at the schoolyard below. "Since you've been back Ms. Higurashi, I've noticed you haven't really been yourself. You're usually very enthusiastic about history class but you've changed for some reason…" _'That's because I don't want to be studying history right now, I want to actually be in it.' _But of course Kagome would never tell him that. She simply remained silent and let him continue.

"Ms Higurashi, do remember that this is your finishing year and this is a very important stage in your life. Whoever this boy is that's been on your mind, he can wait" Kagome's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. How'd he know she'd been day dreaming about Inuyasha all this time? Could she really have been _that_ predictable that even her school teachers could tell Inuyasha constantly haunted her mind? Kagome couldn't help but blush and she silently thanked the gods that Mr Tsu's back was turned and he couldn't see her face turn red.

Though he still did not turn to face her, Mr Tsu actually smiled softly. "Kagome" he spoke using her first name for once, "I'd really hate to see you back in this same class next year. Focus on what it is you have to do" With a wave of the hand he dismissed her.

Kagome gathered her things and left, her mind swirling with thoughts of what had just taken place. She was immediately met outside the classroom by her three best friends and they all bombarded her with different questions as to what they had talked about and why she'd been day dreaming. She rolled her eyes. Kagome knew that even though she had gotten off the hook with her teacher, she still had to answer to her friends, no doubt about that.

"Guys, it's nothing really! I was just a little tired is all." Kagome said as they walked through the doors of the main school building.

"Oh yeah right Kagome. You've been acting really strange lately and everyone's noticed it. Is everything okay at home?" Aymi asked.

"Sure, everything's fine! Granpa, Souta and Mom are doing great"

"Well if nothing's wrong at home then it must be your bad boy" Yuki pointed out.

Kagome tensed slightly as her mind immediately focused on Inuyasha. _'Oh boy, here it comes' _And she was right. They all noticed her reaction and instantaneously flooded her with questions. "GUYS!" They all fell silent and looked at her. "Is anyone hungry?"

Kagome and her friends all sat in WacDonalds enjoying their milkshakes after having lunch. They had been chatting about random things pertaining to school, boys and other things but much to Kagome's dislike, they began interrogating her again about her 'bad boy'.

"So what's the matter Kagome, has he stopped calling you or something?" Eri asked. The others all focused on Kagome to see what she would say.

"Erm, well something like that. We had a little bit of a fight the other day, and we haven't spoken to each other since. Well I haven't been able to reach him."

"You know what Kagome, don't get so caught up over this guy. He's such a jerk!" Yuki said. "What you need is a night out on the town with us. We're going to the club tonight Kagome, you should come, it's gonna be lots of fun! There'll be plenty of cute guys there for you to meet"

"Yeah, forget old what's-his-name. Live a little! What could be better than a Friday night out on the town with your best gal-pals? " Eri piped up.

Kagome smiled. They could be a pain sometimes…okay, most of the time, but she loved her friends very much. She couldn't help but say yes. Besides, she could use her time here as a little break from fighting demons and watching people die all the time. Having to see so much of that got depressing sometimes so she figured it would be great to relax a bit. "Oh alright"

The three girls cheered in unison.

…

Kagome looked herself over in the mirror of her room and decided that she was happy with her appearance. She wore a pair of faded black low rider jeans with a small silver chain snug against her waist as a sort of belt. She also wore a white sleeveless top that showed a decent amount of her cleavage as well as a plain black cotton choker. Her friends met her at her home and after a few goodbyes to her family, they were off into the night.

The club was alive with music and dancing. Lights flashed and zoomed everywhere and the music was pounding loud. Cigarette smoke clung to the air, making it somewhat hard to breathe and the club felt congested from all the people inside. Kagome was slightly hesitant at first. After all, she had only been to a night club once before, but after some reassurance from her friends she became quite comfortable with the scene. They had started off with a few drinks. Kagome wasn't a drinker so she'd only asked for a very light drink but even that had been able to get her somewhat buzzed. Pretty soon, Kagome found herself on the dance floor, just moving to the music. She and her three friends danced together, each with a small glass in their hands. Kagome felt the deepness of the bass beating within the inner most core of her body and soul and she lost herself within the music.

She almost felt as though she'd been on another plane of existence. All of her troubles slowly melted away, one by one. And the only thing that mattered right now was the music. She rocked and swayed in perfect sync with the song, sipping her drink every so often. Kagome thought that she had heard Ayumi say something to her but she didn't care. Nothing else mattered to her right now.

…

_A few weeks before with Inuyasha…_

Inuyasha had decided that no matter what Miroku and Sango had told him, he'd go straight down that damn well and drag Kagome back by her fucking hair if he had to. There was no way that she could leave them for two weeks straight and for what? Just to "stock up on some supplies" for the group. Keh. She had to have been doing more than that. She must have just been slacking off and living it up in that world of hers. How could Kagome be so selfish knowing that they had more jewel shards to find and that each waking moment was precious?

Inuyasha leaped and bounded through the forest near the well, with a look of pure determination in his golden yellow eyes. His feet barely touched the ground as he picked up his pace as the Bone Eater's Well came into view. In one fluent motion, he crouched low and propelled himself off the ground, into the air and into the mouth of the well. Though, Inuyasha did not expect to land painfully on the cold earth below. He was completely caught off guard because he expected to be whisked away 500 years into the future as he usually would, but for some reason he wasn't. Inuyasha quickly composed himself, and turned his head up to see the sky above him. That meant that he was still in his era. But how? The well should have taken him into Kagome's time like it always did. He leaped out of the well and repeated the process, only to get the same outcome. Something was going on. He sniffed around the bottom of the well but he could only pick up the scent of the cool damp earth. He leaped up out of the well and studied it for a moment. Getting on all fours, he began sniffing around the rim and the outside of the well. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something felt a little off. Inuyasha got a deep, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was definitely wrong here.

Miroku, Sango and Shippo now all peered down into the well, trying to see if they could spot anything peculiar. "That's really odd. This has never happened before." Sango thought aloud. They had all come to inspect the well after Inuyasha had told them that it wouldn't take him to Kagome's time.

"Do you think it's broken?" Shippo asked in his childish way.

Miroku turned to look at the little kitsune. "Well Shippo, that may just be the case. We really can't know for sure what's wrong with it. Inuyasha, would you mind trying to jump in one more time for us?"

Inuyasha gave a brief nod and complied, but he only landed at the bottom like before. He looked back up to the others, "See? Nothin'. It doesn't work."

Sango folded her arms across her chest in contemplation. "Guys, if Inuyasha can't get through to Kagome's time, maybe Kagome's having the same problem with the Well on her side too? It's not that Kagome doesn't want to come back, maybe it's just that she _can't_!"

"You know Sango, you might just be onto something there." Miroku said.

Inuyasha frowned. "But the Well couldn't have just stopped working all of a sudden out of nowhere. There has to be a reason for it."

Miroku spoke again. "Yes Inuyasha, you're absolutely right. There must be a reason behind the well not being able to transport you. I don't sense any traces of evil or anything that could have possibly tampered with the Well's abilities. It's just strange."

Inuyasha stared at the Well for a second, "There's no evil around it but I can sense that something is definitely…odd. Whatever the hell is going on here, I want answers, and I'm gonna find out exactly what I want to know. If anything, Kaede must know what's wrong with this stupid thing"

The sun hung low in the sky as the group made their way back to the village they knew all too well, each one of them eager to discover what information Kaede could give them about the Bone Eater's Well. The elderly woman now sat alone in her hut and had been preparing some green tea to enjoy that evening. As they approached the humble hut, Miroku called out. "Lady Kaede, may we come in? We have something to ask of you"

Recognizing the monk's voice she spoke, her voice slightly cracking as she did. "Aye children, ye may come in and have tea with me this evening." Within seconds, the entire group had entered the hut and sat opposite Kaede on the other side of the small fire. "Lady Kaede, something strange has happened to the Well. For some reason-" Sango began but was rudely cut off by Inuyasha.

"Listen Kaede, we didn't come to sit around and drink tea. The Bone Eater's Well stopped working. I can't get through, so what the heck is going on?"

Kaede looked up at him with utter shock. "Ye are not able to travel into the future? How can this be?"

"Well that's what we came to see you about, Kaede. You've lived here in this village longer than anyone else here, so we came here hoping you would have some answers. Are you able to tell us anything at all about the Well?" Sango asked in a very polite tone.

Kaede offered them each a cup of the warm brew. They all accepted her kind gesture except for Inuyasha of course. The old woman sat back, leaning against the wall of her hut, closing her eyes before answering the question. "I have lived here a fair number of years. But the Bone Eater's Well has existed here much longer than I have. Would ye like to hear of its origins?" They nodded, silently telling her to continue. "You see, here in this village there has always been an old tale of the Well that has been handed down among us. It is said that many years ago while this very village was still quite young, the Well brought forth mystical waters. They were healing and rejuvenating waters. All the villagers would visit the Well daily to draw water to drink, as it has been told that drinking from the Well would surely bring longevity and youthfulness, and prolong aging. Yes, the river's water was also used by the villagers, but alas the water from the Well was much more desirable." At this point, everyone listened intently as Kaede went on with her tale.

"This village was truly blessed by the Well's presence. The people knew that they had been given a special gift from the gods and they cherished it so. The Well's water was also capable of healing just about any sort of wound and sickness one could think of, though there were some wounds that proved to be too fatal for even the water's powers. It is even said that the Shikon No Tama was found at the bottom of that very Well, though it is a mystery where it or the Well had come from. Naturally, word spread across the country about the Well and many a traveller had come to see it and to taste its never ending waters. Though, there also came terrible demons from all over, seeking the Well's waters as well as the Sacred Jewel. Many bloody battles had been fought in the hopes to protect this precious gift from falling into the hands of demons.

One evening, there came a very peculiar traveller. He was a rather frail looking man that walked with the assistance of an old rotten stick. He was poorly dressed in rags and the poor dear travelled without shoes even. The nomad had come to the village seeking shelter for the dreadful night to come, offering what little money he had left as payment. But the people looked down upon him with scorn in their hearts and turned him away. Naturally, he was surprised. How could the townspeople look down upon him, when they were poor themselves? However, a young girl had witnessed the man's plight, and fearing for his well-being, she offered him her father's stable to sleep in through the rainy night. She asked for nothing in return. The knowledge that she had been able to help the poor man had enlightened her little heart so. The man was touched by the gesture and slept comfortably that night, warm and cozy in the filthy stable. He was content that there was at least one who was compassionate enough to offer him a place to stay. Though he was touched, he still could not forget the scorn and disgust the people had demonstrated towards him. So, he placed a terrible curse on the Well that the villagers had cherished so much. The Well's healing water had run dry and so now the people would open their eyes and cease to be blinded by selfishness. The mysterious traveller could never forget the little girl's kindness though and he blessed the Well in a very special way, just for her.

You see, there had been a demon that had attacked the village and was successfully slain. Unfortunately, this demon was able to reassemble itself from bits and pieces of its remains that had not been disposed of properly. Nobody could have expected this, and many were killed that day, this child's mother being one of them. So the mysterious traveller made a promise to the little girl, that as long as the remains of a slain demon were thrown into the dry well, they would never be able to reassemble and harm her again. And so, the Bone Eater's Well was born." Kaede sipped her tea as she let what she had just said sink in. "Kagome travelling here through the Well from her era was truly a surprise to me as I had no idea the Well possessed time travelling abilities. Perhaps that strange man had done something much more to the Well than any of us could have ever imagined…"

The entire group fell silent as they contemplated what Kaede had just said. Miroku was first to break the silence, "So that's how the Bone Eater's Well came to be…" his voice trailed off. "But still, that doesn't explain what could have happened to it that disabled its ability to allow time travel."

"Do you guys think Naraku could have had something to do with this?" Shippo asked. All eyes focused on the kitsune child as he mentioned the name of the wretched hanyou.

"Anything is possible Shippo, but for some reason, I doubt it. If Naraku or one of his minions had done something to the Well then surely we would've been able to pick up some hint of evil or something. There couldn't be a barrier either or else Inuyasha would not have been able to jump in." Miroku replied.

Sango frowned, her mind revising the situation. "So what does this mean for Kagome?"

Kaede wished there was more information that she could offer to help the young ones, but she was at a total loss. "I'm sorry, but I know nothing more about the Well to aid ye. I fear that if Kagome is to find her way back into this world, she must find a way to accomplish this on her own. Perhaps her miko powers will be able to reactivate the Well somehow. Until then, ye are all welcome to stay here, as always."

"Thank you Kaede" Sango said as she and the others bowed respectfully and left her hut.

Inuyasha paced impatiently back and forth in the vacant hut the group had been given to stay in while they waited for Kagome. "You know Inuyasha, you should just relax for tonight. Kaede's right, there's probably nothing more we can do about it except wait" Sango suggested.

Inuyasha paused in his pacing, "Wait? Don't you see? All we've been doing these days is waiting around and I'm sick of it!"

"Yes that is understandable Inuyasha but like Kaede said, there's nothing more we can do" Miroku said.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, Inuyasha knew that his friends were absolutely right. Neither of them could figure out what was happening to the Bone Eater's Well. And if Kagome hadn't come back yet, then it was very likely that she couldn't pass through from her side either. He sat down and leaned against the wall of the hut. As Inuyasha thought to himself, he began to feel guilty for ever thinking that Kagome purposely left them for two weeks without a word. _'I know Kagome better than that. I know she's not that selfish to do something like that…' _He closed his eyes. Inuyasha couldn't deny that he had begun to really miss Kagome. Never did he realise how much of an impact she had had on his life and how much she had changed him. He smirked inwardly as he thought about the first time she sat him when he tried to snatch the Shikon No Tama. She was really gutsy for doing that and he admired that about her. For a human, she was just as fierce as any other demon he'd faced out there on the battlefield. _'Kagome will come through, I just know it', _was his last thought before he drifted off into a light sleep.

A soft white glow peeked in through small cracks of the hut and settled on Inuyasha's face, but just as briefly as it came, it was gone. It did not go unnoticed by him though. His sleeping faced scrunched tight then softened as he awoke and sat up. The small fire lit in the middle of the hut had long since burned out and his friends slept peacefully around the small dwelling. Inuyasha, curious as to what that light was, got up and quietly exited the hut and wandered off into the forest. Then he saw them. "Kikyo's Soul Stealers…" he whispered. Inuyasha knew that meant she would be nearby. He knew he should turn back, but he couldn't.

Kikyo had just climbed out of a shallow pool and wrapped a large cloth around her body to conceal her nakedness, though it was still quite short as it only covered the bottom of her breasts and stopped at her upper thighs. She knew Inuyasha was here and watching. "Inuyasha, I can tell that you're here. Come" She motioned over to him as she sat on a nearby boulder.

Inuyasha, who couldn't help but stare at her beauty, slowly came forward from his spot in the bushes. He was unsure what to say at this point. He had never seen so much of her bare body before; she was absolutely stunning. "Kikyo, you're…beautiful."

She gazed at him with certain softness in her eyes. Instead of responding to his comment directly, she decided to change the subject, "Does anybody know you're here?" Inuyasha knew what she meant by that. What she really meant to ask was 'does _Kagome_ know you're here'.

Inuyasha casted his gaze to the floor. "The others are asleep back at the village and Kagome…" his voice trailed off. She looked at him with mild curiosity at his answer, silently telling him to continue. "Kagome's gone."

"Gone? Do explain Inuyasha."

He sighed. "You see Kikyo, Kagome went home to her time and she's been gone for two weeks now. For some reason, she can't get back through the Well, and I can't get to her. Something must've gone wrong with it"

Kikyo turned to Inuyasha who had joined her on the boulder and placed her hand on top of his and spoke softly, "Inuyasha…you know she doesn't belong here. She is not of our world, and she should never have come here in the first place. You know this. Perhaps the Bone Eater's Well understands this better than any of us do and so, has closed the gate between our world and hers"

Her words hurt Inuyasha, though he would never admit to it. Could it be possible? Could the Bone Eater's Well have possibly sealed _itself_ away? If that was so then that meant that he would never see Kagome again… "But we need Kagome to find the rest of the jewel shards. Without her-"

"Don't be foolish Inuyasha, I can help you. Did you forget that I have the ability to see the shards of the Shikon Jewel as well?"

She was right. Of course Kikyo would be able to see the shards. She was a very powerful priestess after all. But allowing her to travel with them instead of Kagome? The others would never permit that to happen. They all loved their Kagome too much to allow it. He couldn't answer when he looked at her to see her staring intensely into his golden eyes with her own chocolate ones. It was as if she were silently pleading for something. What that something was, he couldn't quite tell. But the way she stared at him was absolutely hypnotic. "Inuyasha, you know I've never wanted anything more from this life than to spend it with you…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kikyo sat so close to him now, her scent was driving him insane. She still held the sweet aroma of jasmine and citrus that he fondly remembered from fifty years ago, although it was mixed in with the scent of damp earth and a hint of death. But she was still alluring all the same. He couldn't help but stare into her eyes as she leaned closer until she captured his lips with her own. Inuyasha responded immediately. What started out as a soft, tender kiss quickly turned hot, wet and passionate. Their tongues danced together which elicited a soft groan from Kikyo. That groan made Inuyasha lose it. He lifted her up onto his lap, stood and laid her softly on the bank of the shallow pool. He settled on top of her as their kiss quickly became deeper, more ravenous, and more desperate. Kikyo reached up to dig her nails in the back of his neck and used her free hand to get between them to stroke his throbbing erection. He growled deep within his throat and his hand instantly went to cup her breast which was barely covered by her drying cloth. He used the tip of his claw to tease her budding nipple before lowering his mouth to softly suck on it.

Inuyasha was lost. He had been waiting for this opportunity for so long and now he finally got it. The woman he loved moaning and groaning under him from the pleasure he was giving her. He felt light headed as he moved his hand lower until it lifted up the bottom of her cloth and found her entrance. She was silky and moist for him already which delighted him immensely. He teased lightly at her entrance with his finger before carefully sliding it in, being very careful not to hurt her with his claw. She groaned in ecstasy. Inuyasha moved from her tender breasts up to her neck and teased her with his tongue. He then began to gently nibble on the tender flesh.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper. He growled out in response as he moved back up to capture her mouth. After a few short minutes, Kikyo had managed to turn the tables. She found herself on top of Inuyasha and undoing his pants. After revealing his pulsating cock, she brought her lips to his head, kissing it before she used her tongue to tease it and finally took it into her mouth. Inuyasha stifled out a moan as she rhythmically moved her heated mouth up and down over his crotch. The pleasure seared through his entire body, giving him an indescribable high. "Oh Kagome…"

Kikyo froze at those two uttered words and she quickly released his manhood as if it had just bit her. Inuyasha was taken aback at the sudden loss of pleasure and was dumbfounded. He looked at Kikyo who now glared at him with utter distrust and hurt at the same time. "No Kikyo, wait. I'm sorry. Please don't stop."

"Inuyasha, you filthy scum! You mistook me for _her_? Why Inuyasha? I thought you loved me. I thought you wanted to be with _me_" She spoke with a voice laden with rage, hurt and betrayal. She began to quickly dress herself in her traditional priestess' clothing.

Inuyasha tried to search for an answer, any answer, but he truly didn't know why he had said Kagome's name. "Kikyo, please…I'm sorry"

But she paid no mind to his pleas. "Save it _dog_. If it is her you wish to have, then go to your wench. I'll have nothing more to do with you Inuyasha!" And with that the wounded priestess left.

Inuyasha could only sit in that same spot and watch Kikyo leave. He couldn't help but feel completely helpless in this situation. "What have I done?"

He wandered around the forest aimlessly, deep in thought about what had just occurred. Kikyo was the woman he'd always loved right? She always had been for fifty years; so then why had he moaned out Kagome's name just now? It didn't make any sense! Deep down, he knew he cared for Kagome a lot, but in the end, Kikyo was the love of his life…but still, Kagome had managed to enter his thoughts while Kikyo was the one who was pleasuring him. _'Kagome…what would she think if she had seen me and Kikyo together like that?' _ Of course he knew the answer to that. It would hurt her. His heart sank at the thought. Inuyasha felt absolutely terrible for what he just did; not only had he betrayed Kagome's trust but now he knew Kikyo despised him. He allowed his instincts to get the better of him and for that, he knew that sooner or later, he would have to face the consequences of his lack of self-control. Morning was approaching quickly and so the hanyou returned to the village.

…

_Three months later…_

He stretched as he exited the cave, and greeted the morning air with a small smirk. It was just about dawn when Kouga had woken up and left his chambers to scan his vast territory. Everything seemed just about right. Throughout the beautiful mountain terrain, members of his wolf demon clan began their mornings as usual. Some were lazily strolling about while others we're preparing to go on the morning hunt. Mothers fussed with their cubs, trying to wash their dirty faces in the streams that branched throughout the territory. Kouga sat on the edge of his cliff, his feet dangling over the edge. Kagome had been on his mind a lot these past few weeks and this morning was no different. Thinking about Kagome always put Kouga in a light, happy mood. If it were up to him, he would've gone to see her much sooner, but the responsibility of being alpha of an entire wolf demon tribe was too time consuming. But everything seemed okay now, so he decided he would pay a visit today. Standing up from his spot on the mountain, he tilted his head back and let out a long howl. Within minutes, his two trusted wolf demons, Ginta and Hakakku, came running from down the mountain.

"Hey Kouga, what can we do ya for?" Ginta asked as they jogged to Kouga's side.

"I'm gonna go say hello to Kagome for a few hours. I need you two to stay here and take care of the morning lookout around the eastern and western pass. Think you guys can do that?"

"Sure no problem, Kouga" Hakakku said cheerfully. Ginta nodded his agreement.

"Alright, see ya then. I'll be expecting a full report when I get back. And I better not come back and catch you guys slacking off!" Kouga hollered as he took off in his signature tornado. His two friends lifted their arms to shield their faces from the dust that had been disturbed by the tornado. As the dust settled, they found Kouga to be long gone.

Kouga had no idea where he was going or how he would find his Kagome. He hadn't caught wind of her scent yet but that wasn't enough to discourage the prince. If anything, he picked up his pace determined to find the one he loved. He had been running for about an hour when he came across a vast field, nestled between two large mountains. But what captured Kouga's attention about the field was the multitude of flowers that dotted it. There were flowers of so many different shapes, colors and sizes, the entire display was absolutely stunning. He immediately stopped running so as not to disturb the wildflowers and walked slowly through instead, carefully examining each one. _'Kagome would love these' _Kouga bent down and picked out a small bouquet of the most appealing flowers in the field he could find. He held the bunch up to eye level, examining them. The colors meshed beautifully together and he was proud of what he had made. Satisfied, he took off again, feeling even more eager to see Kagome and present his gift to her.

It was still quite early in the morning when Kouga caught the scent of someone familiar. But it definitely wasn't the scent of someone he was looking forward to seeing. "Dog" he growled out under his breath. He scowled instinctively at the fowl scent but he knew that wherever the mutt was, Kagome was sure to be. So reluctantly, he followed the scent into a human village.

Sango, bent as she assisted Kaede gather her things as she had finished tending the wounds of a small child. "There, those wounds will heal soon enough. Be more cautious of where ye play, child" Kaede reprimanded. "Thank you so much Lady Kaede. Bless you" The child's mother bowed respectfully.

Just then, several screams were heard in the village. "Demon! There's a wolf demon! He's come to devour us!" Kaede and Sango hurried outside and into the crowd of frightened villagers who stood to confront the demon. They pushed their way to the front of the crowd to see Kouga standing there obviously quite agitated by the villagers. _'Damn humans. I'd only put up with this shit for Kagome'_ he thought to himself. He hated being stared and gawked at.

"Oh, it's Kouga" Sango said to herself. Kaede looked over to her.

"Ye know this demon?"

"Yes, this is Kouga, the leader of the Eastern wolf demon tribe and Inuyasha's arch rival, especially when it comes to winning Kagome's heart" Sango explained.

Kouga recognized Sango, one of Kagome's friends, and decided to speak. "Yeah, thanks for the introduction but I came here to see Kagome, where is she?" he said in a not so polite manner. Just then, Miroku, who had heard the commotion, emerged from the crowd of people and stood next to Sango.

"Kouga?" He asked to no one in particular. After brief thought, he was able to figure out exactly why Kouga must have come. "Kagome isn't here right now, Kouga"

"Well if she's not here then where the hell is she?"

"Oh come on, don't ya think it's a bit too early to come barking around here wolf?" Everyone turned to see Inuyasha standing on the branch of a nearby tree, his arms folded and his face contorted in revulsion. Kouga barking around for Kagome was the last thing he needed right now, especially since she had been gone for about three months now and he had no clue when or _if_ she would be coming back. He walked over to the crowd of people and stood face to face with the displeased wolf.

"Well if it isn't dog face. I knew I smelled dog shit around here. But I don't have time to play with little puppy dogs. I came here looking for Kagome, now where is she?" Kouga demanded.

Inuyasha decided he had had just about enough of this. "Are ya deaf or what? Kagome isn't here! Not that she'd want to see your sorry ass anyways!"

"If she's not here, then where is she, mutt?"

Miroku decided he would speak up before both canine demons got into an altercation that could potentially mean trouble for everyone. "Kouga listen. Kagome has gone home, and we're not sure when she will be returning to us."

He turned to look at the monk. "Alright, fair enough. Where's this home of hers? I'll just go there to look for her"

Inuyasha was losing his patience quickly. How dare this scrawny wolf barge into this village demanding to see Kagome as if he had every right to her to do that? He growled, baring his fangs and flexing his claws. If this wolf tried to pull anything fast, he'd surely tear his head clean off his neck. Inuyasha had no patience with Kouga at all. Kagome's absence and the guilt of what had happened several weeks ago with Kikyo had been weighing on him more and more each passing day. Dealing with Kouga was the last thing he wanted to do. Sango and Miroku passed each other uneasy glances. They were not sure of how to explain to Kouga that it wasn't a matter of _where_ Kagome's home was…it was a matter of _when_.

Kaede noticed this and said, "Well if this demon is as infatuated with Kagome as ye say, then methinks that the wolf will not leave until he has found her. Perhaps it would be best if the situation is properly explained to him" Kaede then went ahead to disperse the crowd of curious villagers. They all knew she was right. Kouga obviously wanted answers and they knew he would probably cause trouble if he didn't get them.

'_Situation? What exactly is going on here…?'_ Kouga had caught every word the old woman had said and couldn't help but become even more curious.

"Hmph, we don't havta explain anything to him cause it's none of his damn business!" Inuyasha protested as he drew his Tetsaiga.

"What did you say mutt?" Kouga flexed his claws out to lengthen them and bared his teeth.

"Guys wait!" Miroku stood between them. "Let's just settle this calmly, we don't want any trouble from either of you. Kouga, if you would just follow me, we can discuss this rationally." All eyes were on Miroku now. Surprisingly, Kouga just quietly nodded towards the monk and without a fuss, he followed as Miroku led him to the hut the group had been staying in. Kouga's happy mood had been spoiled by the insolent puppy's yapping, but he sincerely wanted to know where Kagome was. He knew that by picking a fight with Inu-trasha, he wouldn't get those answers; so he decided he would comply…for now.

Shippo, who had perched himself on Miroku's shoulder whispered to him as they neared the hut. "Miroku, are you sure you're doing the right thing here?" He nodded. "With Kagome gone for so long, it was only a matter of time before Kouga showed up to see her. He always does. So he would have found out sooner or later. The last thing we need is a dog fight between him and Inuyasha, especially here in Kaede's village where people could get hurt. It's best to explain things calmly. And it's best to speak with him away from Inuyasha."

Unbeknownst to Miroku or Shippo, Kouga had been able to pick up every word of their conversation thanks to his sensitive hearing. His eyebrow twitched in agitation when the monk described it as a 'dog' fight. He was no dog, but he would let it slide for now. He was really curious as to what was going on and what the 'situation' with Kagome was. He really wished she wasn't hurt or anything, and if she was, he'd wring the mutt's neck dry for letting that happen to his Kagome.

…

"Five hundred years…in the future?" Kouga blinked curiously. Since Miroku had begun his explanation of where Kagome was from, Kouga had eaten up every single word he said. It all seemed too unreal, yet fascinating at the same time.

"Damn, I always knew there was something very special about my woman. I couldn't have chosen a better mate to lead my pack by my side, don't ya think?" Kouga grinned, his chest swelling with pride. He knew the monk didn't feel the way he did but he didn't care. This piece of news was absolutely mind blowing to him. Miroku chose to ignore that comment.

"Ahem, well you see Kouga. The Bone Eater's Well which is not very far from here is the only way for Kagome to gain access into this era and the same goes for Inuyasha, if he wants to cross into her time. The Well is a bridge between both worlds and when that connection is broken…"

"She's stuck in her own time and dog face is stuck here…"Kouga finished. Miroku nodded. "We're not exactly sure why the Well has stopped working though. This has never happened before. Kagome has been gone for about three months now, but we're still hopeful that she'll be able to somehow re-activate the Well with her own powers."

Kouga fell silent for a while, absorbing this piece of information. So does this mean that he would never see Kagome again? He clutched the bouquet of flowers in his hand unconsciously. Then he realised something… after all this time, he had never let go of his gift for Kagome. Even when he and Inuyasha had almost gotten into a fight outside, he had still never dropped the flowers he brought for her. Now hearing all this, he made up in his mind that he would never let go of them until he could hand deliver them to her himself. He'd make sure of that. "It's settled then." Kouga said as he got up. Miroku gave him a curious look.

"I'll find this Well and fix it myself so Kagome can come back to me. I'll find a way. Even if it's the last thing I do!" And with that, Kouga left the hut in a whirl and within seconds he was gone. Inuyasha had been leaning against the side of the hut and had heard every single word they said. He growled and his clawed hands tightened into white-knuckled fists.

…

Kouga had no idea what he was doing or where he was going again. After wandering the forest for about ten minutes, he came upon an old well that sat in an open clearing. He slowed as he approached it and looked over the edge. _'This must be the dry Well the monk spoke of. Doesn't look like much to me…' _he thought as he gave it some further inspection. He tried jumping into it as the monk said Kagome would but nothing happened. _'Hmm'_ He looked around the bottom…nothing but old bones and dust. After poking around the Well for a few more minutes, Kouga sat in defeat. He leaned up against the wall of the Well and looked to the heavens for answers.

"Kagome, how do I bring you back to me…"

…

**HOLY FACK, THAT TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE! –drops dead- Okay! So a lot going on in this chapter, I know. But I needed to set my plot in motion and it finally feels like I'm moving somewhere with this. I want this story to have a little bit of something for fans of other couples as well. That's why I added in that scene with Inuyasha and Kikyo (among other reasons). There's going to be some Miroku x Sango coming up in later chapters too. I also hope my timelines didn't confuse anyone either. In total, Kagome was gone for three months. Inuyasha gets agitated about her being gone after two weeks and goes to see Kaede about it. When Kouga shows up, that lines up with the day that Kagome went out clubbing :D Sorry if I confused anyone. I just wanted to make sure I was clear.**

**And I must say, I'm super happy at how many fave's this story is getting, really. Thank you all who faved but I'd really appreciate if you guys who faved could review too! To you all who've been reviewing so far, thank you so much! It's really cause of you guys that I keep writing this. And that's it for chapter three. Remember, I love to hear what you are all thinking about this story so please R&R! **


	4. Chapter 4

_**.Chapter Four**_

_**First I'd love to start by thanking you all for reviewing! I got this done much sooner than I normally would have because of it ^-^ Your reviews really mean a lot to me... –sniff-**_

_**Melmelx3**__** – Thanks for the feedback. I didn't realize I had those errors in a few of the chapters which is weird because I'm such a grammar Nazi. But thanks for pointing it out. I'll be sure to go back and fix them as soon as I get the chance**__** . **_

_**Anyways, on with the chapter!**_

…

She slowly awoke to find herself behind bars in a dark dungeon. She went to rub her eyes to help them adjust to the darkness of the room, when she realized her arms were shackled. The young woman looked around the compact prison, struggling to remember how she had gotten here in the first place.

_An ominous dark cloud rolled over the small village, cloaking it in a dense blackness. It was as though night had fallen but only around the village. The villagers all looked up to the sky in sheer terror. Along with the cloud came a great demonic aura. Everything fell deathly silent around them. The birds had stopped tweeting and it seemed as though the breeze had also stopped blowing. Everything stood still. One villager broke the silence._

"_What could that cloud mean? A demon?"_

_The young woman stepped out of a nearby shrine and gazed up at the sky. Her insides churned in fear and slight disgust at the immense demonic aura that loomed over the village. She had to do something quickly._

"_Everyone! Get away from this area immediately! Men, assist the elderly and children!" she shouted at the villagers. They all stood around, confused for a moment and frightened at the same time. _

"_Priestess?" one man questioned._

_She was losing her patience. "Do as I say, now!" She snapped at them. They all immediately scrambled away in different directions. However it was too late. A thick purple cloud of miasma descended from the sky and began to suffocate the villagers. Thinking quickly, the priestess fired her sacred arrows around the area, dispersing the poisonous vapours. She raised a sleeve to her nose to shield herself from the fumes. Ten of her trusted men stood by her side, determined to assist her in any way they could. They all readied their weapons, prepared to face whatever demon might emerge from the clouds._

_She kept her wits about her. She could sense the demon's presence everywhere, but she couldn't pinpoint its exact location. Her eyes scanned the now deserted village, but she could see nothing either._

"_Be on your guard. The beast is close by."_

"_How perceptive of you, priestess…" came a sleek, disembodied voice. _

"_Who are you and what could you possibly want with this poor village? Name yourself!" she roared out to the voice. She was really beginning to get fed up with this demon._

"_Oh don't be foolish girl. This village means nothing to me, but what's in it…" It cooed. _

"_Whatever you want, you can have it! Just leave us in peace or I will be forced to destroy you, demon" She readied her arrows, and she also prepared herself to use the sword strapped to her side, if need be. _

_The demon decided to emerge from the shadows. He rose up out of the ground, from a shadow casted by one of the huts. He chuckled, causing a numbing chill to creep up their spines. "I am called Tesoha of the Shadows, not that knowing my name will benefit you much." He paused only to smile, almost sweetly. "And you must be the priestess of this village, Mizuki, am I correct?"_

_She narrowed her eyes. "How do you know my name wretch?" She stretched her bow back, preparing to fire on any given notice._

"_I've been sent here to collect you is all." He said nonchalantly._

"_You will be collecting no one from this village demon!" said one of her men. He lifted his axe and charged at the demon, only to be swallowed up by the earth. The others looked on in terror._

_Tesoha laughed out. "The fool! Did he hope to harm me with such a tactless move? Come with me now, I've grown bored of this." And with that, he dissolved into the shadows. _

_A black mass formed where he had merged with the ground and slithered towards them at high speeds. Without hesitation, the priestess fired a sacred arrow at the dark mass, only for it to dodge it. Within seconds, it was under her and she felt a hand grab at her ankles._

"_Huh? What the…?"_

_The last thing she remembered was being sucked into the dark abyss and falling into unconsciousness._

"My, my, what a pretty one you are. I had not noticed your beauty when I first confronted you"

A voice interrupted Mizuki from her thoughts. It was the very demon that had captured her! He stood coolly against the wall on the outside of her prison. He kept his arms folded against his chest and looked at her from the corner of his eye. She got up suddenly and lunged at him, but was jolted back by her restraints.

"What could you possibly want with me shadow demon? I've done you no harm."

Tesoha finally turned to face the priestess. "It's not what I want with you. It's what Naraku wants."

"Naraku?"

…

His claws scratched relentlessly at the dry, tightly packed soil for almost an hour. However, his frustration was growing with each passing second. Kouga's forehead began to bead with perspiration and he swept the back of his hand across his face to smear some of it off. The situation seemed hopeless, but he was determined to keep trying.

That very morning Kouga had set out to find Kagome, only to learn of her strange absence, not from the village, but from this time period. He learned that this very Well in which he was tunnelling, was the passage between his world and hers. According to the monk, Kagome had the capability to pass back and forth between both worlds as she pleased. But apparently she had been gone for a little more than three months. This was very unusual for her. The monk had suspected that she wasn't able to pass through the Well again. What changed now though? None of them seemed to have an exact answer but he was sure as hell he would be the one to find out. Or could it be that they were hiding some sort of secret concerning Kagome and her whereabouts? Not likely. If the monk was willing to tell him something this bizarre about Kagome, then what other secret could there be left to keep? Kouga couldn't be too sure, but he trusted the monk's words. His instinct told him to, and he was never one to doubt them. And mutt-face…seeing him back in the village, he wasn't the same. Kouga couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something seemed to be bothering him. He knew the dog must have been brooding over Kagome, but something else was bothering him deep within. Kouga could see it in his eyes and he could detect the change in his mood judging by his strange scent. Maybe something had happened between him and Kagome before she had returned to her homeland? Kouga didn't give a rat's ass what mutt-face was obviously feeling guilty about, but if he had done anything to hurt Kagome, he would make sure he paid for it.

Kouga continued digging away at the earth beneath the Well, hoping to trigger some sort of reaction, sign or something, anything. But to no avail. After a few more minutes of digging, he finally got fed up. He looked at the dirt beneath his claws and growled. Kouga had so much confidence in himself that he had decided long ago that he would get to Kagome _today_, no matter what it took, but he couldn't go to see her with such dirty claws. With one quick leap, Kouga was out of the Well and off to the nearest river.

…

"All I'm sayin' is that it was none of his god damn business!"

Kouga had departed from the village hours ago and it was about early afternoon. The group had been peacefully enjoying lunch in their tiny hut…well, almost peacefully. Inuyasha still hadn't stopped ranting and raving about Miroku's explaining Kagome's situation to Kouga. Of course at first, they had all tried to enjoy their brew quietly without entertaining the upset hanyou, but one could only ignore his long string of obscenities for so long…

"Inuyasha, for the hundredth time…" Miroku began, "What sense would it have made to keep this sort of information withheld from Kouga? You know just as well as I do that he would not have rested until he found Kagome's whereabouts."

Sango agreed. "He's right Inuyasha, you know Kouga. Even if we did try to send him out on a wild goose chase to the middle of nowhere, you know he's thick-headed enough to actually go through with it! Surely he would have returned when he didn't find her."

"Hmph, so what? Let the damn wolf go get lost and devoured by some demon or something. That'll be one less problem off my back!"

Shippo rolled his eyes, resting down his bowl of hot stew and folding his little arms. "You know Inuyasha, we all know you miss Kagome very much. We all do! But you've been so touchy these days. All you ever do is mope around the village all day and night, and now that Kouga shows up, you explode into fits of anger! I mean even way more than usual! You really must be deeply in love with Kagome if you're this-" Shippo didn't get to finish his sentence due to Inuyasha smacking his head with his fist.

"Oww Inuyasha you big meanie!" he whined as tears gathered in his eyes.

"I'm goin' out for a walk." Inuyasha left the hut without another word.

"You can't blame him for being so upset about this. He and Kagome didn't exactly leave on very good terms, you know. I really hate to say this, I refuse to believe it even, but there's a possibility that we may never see Kagome again. Inuyasha knows this, and considering what they've gone through together, in the end, he never got to apologize or to even tell her goodbye. The poor guy, he's really torn up about this." Sango said as they watched Inuyasha walk out of the village.

Miroku bowed his head in silent remorse. "Yes, you're absolutely right Sango. Inuyasha isn't quite sure what to do at this point, but then again, none of us are. Shippo, perhaps it is best to leave him be. He's been spending most of his days sitting by the Well, deep in thought. Inuyasha is clearly experiencing some inner turmoil." Thinking back to a certain night few weeks ago, Miroku did have a good clue about what else could be causing turmoil in the half demon's heart.

Inuyasha left the small village, his legs taking him somewhere, though his mind knew not where. It didn't matter. He had become so lost in thought that it didn't matter to him where he was going. Kagome had been gone for far too long now, and Naraku would definitely be on the move. Who knows what he had been up to these past few months? No doubt, he would be growing stronger and stronger with each passing day, and they couldn't allow that. But without Kagome's ability to see the shards of the Shikon jewel, how could they hope make any progress? They would be left to wander the lands aimlessly; was this destined to be their fate? Was Kagome destined to remain trapped in her time, leaving them severely crippled? Was Naraku intended to obtain the few remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel and consume Japan in his evil?

Inuyasha soon found himself facing the Sacred tree. His golden eyes gazed upon it and lingered on the very spot where Kikyo's arrow had pierced its bark fifty years ago. So many memories of the incident came flooding back to his mind. The sharp sting of betrayal from the woman he loved…the fear he had of dying from her arrow; it all came back to him. Inuyasha had always believed that the moment Kikyo had pinned him to this tree would be the very moment his life would end.

But then, his mind took him to the day he had been reawakened fifty years later. He remembered meeting his Kagome and how he wrongfully mistook her for Kikyo. Then realisation hit Inuyasha. His life had only truly begun when Kagome had broken Kikyo's spell and their journey began together. He had never thought of it that way before… Inuyasha placed a palm over the spot where he was once bound. All those memories…

Leaving the tree, he soon found himself near the Bone Eater's Well: the channel way between the feudal era and Kagome's home. He took a few steps towards it but stopped when a certain scent assaulted his nose. _'Kouga's been here. He probably came sniffin' around here after hearing what Miroku had told him. ' _Inuyasha's blood boiled at the thought of Kouga going anywhere near the Well. Many of his and Kagome's most intimate moments were shared here by this very Well and now Kouga, his rival had the nerve to come here. Unconsciously, his fingers balled into a tight fist and he seethed with rage. Within a second he bounded off back towards the village. _'I've made up my mind. I can't do this anymore.' _

They were all completely caught off guard as a strong gust of wind came rushing through the door of the hut and they all turned to see a very angry hanyou standing before them in the doorway. Shippo squealed and scampered behind Sango, thinking that Inuyasha had come to take revenge on him for what he said earlier.

"Inuyasha, you're back?" Miroku asked, clearly surprised.

"Hm yeah, who'd ya expect?" he sneered.

"We didn't expect you back so soon, that's all. Is something the matter?" Sango asked.

Inuyasha did not move from his spot in the hut's doorway. "Gather up your things guys, we're heading out in an hour."

The entire group was shocked to say the least. Just yesterday, he had been sulking around the village and the Well, wishing for Kagome to come back. Now all of a sudden he wanted to go searching for shards? What had suddenly gotten into Inuyasha?

"Head out? I don't suppose you have any leads as to where we would be able to find jewel shards do you Inuyasha?" Sango was very sceptical about Inuyasha's attitude. Was he acting out of hurt and depression?

"No Sango, but don't you see? We're never gonna get _anywhere _if we sit here and wait around for Kagome! I dunno about you guys, but I've had enough waiting! You think Naraku is gonna sit there, wherever the hell he is, and wait around too? No. So we have to do something _now_ and we cannot allow Naraku to grow any stronger than he already is."

Shippo jumped up from his place behind Sango to protest. "Yeah, but what if Kagome comes b-"

"Kagome is never coming back!" Inuyasha roared, causing the little kitsune to cower behind Sango again.

Inuyasha's eyes softened at him and he spoke more calmly now. "I'm sorry Shippo but you need to understand that. Kagome will never come back to us. I think we've waited long enough and we need to get a move on…" And with that he left the hut again, leaving no room for debate.

Everyone stared at the now empty doorway absolutely speechless. Shippo came out of hiding once he saw that Inuyasha had left. "What was all that about? And did Inuyasha just _apologize_ to me for once? Now I'm really confused"

Miroku let out a heavy sigh as he stood up. "Well Inuyasha's right. I was hoping that it would never have come to this, but at this point in time, there's not much else we can do. And waiting here isn't doing us any good."

Sango watched as Miroku got up. "Yes, but where do you suggest we go? We don't have any leads or anything. We can't just wander around like lost dogs, it's pointless!"

Miroku simply smiled and offered her a hand. She accepted the gesture and was soon on her feet as well. "I'm not sure what's got Inuyasha riled up like this, but I'm sure it won't hurt too much to investigate any suspicious activity around here. Should Kagome return, she can always wait for us here in the village. That way, we may be able to convince Inuyasha to return here every so often to see if she's come back. I think it may be good for him. Jewel hunting and fighting demons is probably the only way for him to vent his frustration right now."

Shippo jumped up onto Miroku's shoulder. "You think it'll work Miroku?"

He simply shrugged. "I hope so."

Within the hour, the group had said their final goodbyes to Kaede and set out on their journey once again. They now walked on a worn road which was commonly used by merchants as they travelled from village to village. It was now about late afternoon and as expected, they hadn't gotten any leads on the whereabouts of the jewel shards. Inuyasha seemed to be in a strange mood however.

"Geez, is he having some serious mood swings lately or what? Just look at him go." Shippo whispered from his spot on Sango's shoulder. They all watched Inuyasha up ahead swinging his transformed Tetsusaiga around and rambling on with something about chopping Naraku's head off himself.

Sango grinned to herself. "Perhaps you were right Miroku. Travelling without Kagome is going to take a lot of getting used to for all of us, but getting out of the village was exactly what Inuyasha needed."

…

After Kouga returned from the river, he decided to take a moment to think this situation over again, but he came up with nothing. _'Damnit Kagome, why won't this stupid thing work?'_ All this magic well stuff gave him a bit of a headache. Kouga decided that he would rest his head back and clear his head, just for a minute while he thought of what to do next. Before he knew it, Kouga had fallen fast asleep. Hours had flown by when a cold chill yanked him out of his sleep. He slowly got up from the cool grass, stretched and looked around.

"Oh shit! It's late! Ugh, how could I have fallen asleep for so long? Stupid!" Kouga really wanted to kick himself in the ass now. He was supposed to be figuring out a way to make the Well work, not slacking off on the job!

Kouga's mind promptly went back to his two friends Ginta and Hakakku and how he'd caught them countless times sleeping during their duties, too. He chuckled a bit as he got up, dusting himself off. He knew the pack would be wondering where he was. He never stayed away from them for more than a few hours at a time, unless he was off travelling with his companions._ 'They'll be fine' _he reassured himself_._ He knew his pack was fully capable of taking care of themselves._ 'Now on to the matter at hand...' _

It was now pitch black in the forest of the Bone Eater's Well and Kouga had yet to figure out how to use the Well to get to Kagome's time. He sat on the cool grass again and leaned his back against the Well's frame. He had tried just about everything he could think of, but still nothing. _'This well must work with some weird magic or somethin'…Regardless. I need to get to Kagome and I swear that I will see her tonight. I'll do what mutt-face couldn't and make my own way through this damn thing. I just need a better strategy, hmmm…' _ What was he thinking? He couldn't possibly hope to make it through this thing tonight. What if he wasn't able to activate the well on his own? He would probably have to seek out help from someone who was skilled with these sorts of spells.

Kouga carelessly scraped at the wooden exterior of the Well with the claw of his pointer finger, immersed in his own thoughts. Maybe the Well worked through its own spiritual powers and not through magic? No, that couldn't be right. If that was the case then mutt-face shouldn't have been able to pass through it, being half demon and all. So then what was it? Kouga stood up and faced the well while scratching his head. Then he got the idea to try something else. He was convinced that this plan was definitely fool proof.

"Bone Eater's Well! I command you to take me to Kagome's time right _now_!" And with that Kouga leaped in through the well, only to land face first on the ground.

"Ughh, well that sure as hell didn't work…" he groaned out with a face full of dirt. He got up and shook it off.

"Okay let's try this again!"

Kouga took in a deep breath and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "WELL! I DEMAND THAT YOU TAKE ME TO KAGOME'S TIME!" His voice echoed loudly throughout the entire area but the only thing Kouga managed to do was to scare away a few birds.

"Eh, so that didn't work either" Kouga sighed and sat at the bottom of the well in defeat.

"What now then?"

…

Kagome was having the time of her life at the rave night club without a care in the world. At first, she had felt really shy amongst the large crowd of people, but as her glass of alcohol got lighter and lighter, the more at ease she became, and the more she began to enjoy the scene. For a moment, she forgot about all the problems she faced right now. All her fears of finding a way back to the Feudal Era, of never seeing Inuyasha or her friends again…all of those fears lay dormant. The only thing that mattered was the here and now. And right now, she was having the time of her life; something she had never been able to do for a very long time.

She danced and swayed her hips and body to the rhythm of the pulsating music. Tiny beads of perspiration began to form on her forehead and the top of her breasts, but Kagome continued to dance on through the night with her friends. The flashing neon lights twisted and twirled around the room and bounced off of her moving form while outlining her body flawlessly. A pair of eyes gazed at Kagome intently from the corner of the room and they watched her _every_ move carefully. They had been since the moment she had walked through the door. She was simply too irresistible to ignore and there was something about her that made her stand out from the crowd.

'_I must have her..'_

After a few more hours of dancing, drinking and "guy watching", Kagome's friends had decided to call it a night. The trains and buses had all stopped running for the evening, but it didn't matter. Kagome and her friends were perfectly comfortable walking home together, because of how close they lived to each other. They could look out for one another on the way home, and so they felt safe. After all, their homes were only a few blocks away from the district they were currently in.

"Did you see the way he looked at you Yuka? That guy totally had the hots for you!" Eri cheered.

Yuka bowed her head and blushed with slight embarrassment. "He was kinda cute but he looked kinda creepy too! I mean he was wearing all those chains and that weird makeup on his eyes! And did you see that hair of his?" They all burst with uncontrollable laughter.

"And what about you Kagome? You were getting quite a few looks yourself." Ayumi said while raising a suggestive eyebrow.

Kagome's face took on a reddish hue and she grinned nervously while waving a hand in dismissal, "Who me? Nah, no way. You must've been seeing things. Those drinks must've gotten to your head!"

Eri pretended to whisper to the other girls, knowing quite well that Kagome could hear her. "Oh yes, that's right. Kagome is still hooked on Mr Bad Attitude even though he hasn't called her in _weeks_!" They all giggled when Kagome shot them threatening glares, knowing quite well that there was no actual menace behind it.

Kagome and her friends continued to laugh and talk as they travelled home. They were all clearly still quite giddy off their asses from all the drinks they had at the club. They giggled and wobbled all over each other, sometimes the four of them nearly toppling themselves over which made them burst out into more wild fits of laughter. Neither girl minded a bit though. They were just simple teenagers out on a Friday night and enjoying each other's company; Kagome wouldn't have it any other way.

Lately, she had been so depressed about being trapped in her own time. She'd been worrying so much about her friends back in the Feudal Era, about collecting jewel shards and defeating Naraku… By bringing her on this outing, Kagome's friends had done much more for her than they could've ever known. Kagome was deep within her own thoughts when Ayumi called her name, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Heeelloo, earth to Kag. I'm leaving." Ayumi waved a hand near her face as if to snap Kagome out of some sort of trance.

"Huh? Oh we're here already?" Kagome said, looking around. They had arrived to Ayumi's house first and Yuka's was but a block away. The girls said their goodbyes and goodnights to each other before departing. Soon, Kagome found herself walking alone with Eri. There was light conversation between the two, but their trip was made mostly in silence. Then finally, they came upon Eri's home, with Kagome's still being a little distance away.

"Kagome, it's late. Are you sure you're going to be alright walking around out there? I can get my mom to drive you." Eri was clearly worried about her friend's well-being. After all, _anything_ could happen to a girl wandering the dark streets of Tokyo late at night.

Kagome smiled. "Oh don't worry, I'll be fine. My house isn't that far away from here so I can make it on my own. Besides, your mom is probably fast asleep by now and I wouldn't want you to wake her up." Eri was still hesitant to let her friend walk alone through the shady neighbourhood, but she decided to trust Kagome's words and hope that she'd be okay.

Her head spun from the effects of the alcohol and her vision started to become a little blurry. She also became fatigued and her eyelids felt really heavy. _'Ugh...the first thing I'm going to do when I get home is take a nice warm bubble bath and then get to bed' _She thought to herself. Kagome continued on along the dark street, but something did not feel right. Travelling in the warring era and experiencing powerful demonic auras had honed Kagome's ability to detect when a situation was…wrong. And right now, something definitely didn't feel right; and it wasn't the alcohol causing it. This was something she could sense. Somebody was there, and Kagome got a feeling that their intentions were not in her best interest.

Kagome picked up her pace a bit and wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm or perhaps out of nervousness. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but something didn't feel right and she wasn't about to sit around and find out what it was! Then she heard heavy, booted footsteps on the sidewalk behind her and immediately, her heart sank. Somebody was following her and she didn't dare look back to see who it was. They must have been waiting for her to become isolated as she walked home with her friends_. 'Alright don't panic, think Kagome, think…'_

All Kagome needed to do was buy time for a few more minutes and she would be on the Higurashi shrine property. Kagome came up with no other plan but to make a break for it and hope that she could get away. The person followed suit and had managed to take a firm grip on her upper arm just before she could get far enough. He shoved her towards him with one rough jerk and she landed against his broad, stiff chest. She squealed from the sudden movement and pain from colliding with the man's body.

He smirked evilly "So you're the one they call Kagome huh?"

…

Kouga had been going at his strange antics for a while, trying to figure out some way to make the Well work. Of course, none of his crazy schemes worked. He figured he should go get help, but from who? Maybe some sort of sorcerer or a priestess would know what to do? He just didn't know. No mortal in their right mind would help a demon anyways. Kouga's high spirits began to fall. Here he was at the bottom of a dry Well, late at night with no hope whatsoever of reaching his Kagome. At first, he was determined that he would defy the Well and break through its seal to visit Kagome, but now it seemed that the Well could not be altered…and that he had failed.

He became disheartened. If only there was some way to get into Kagome's time. He hadn't seen her in so long, his heart yearned and ached desperately for the girl. He fell to his knees and leaned forward until he was on all fours. He clutched some loose dirt in his claws and closed his eyes.

"Kagome…"

…

Kagome writhed and squirmed trying to free herself from her assailant's cast iron grip but to no avail. Her struggling only made his smirk grow even wider. He licked his lips even. Kagome was now very freaked out and disgusted by that. What the hell was this man intending to do? Judging by the lustful look in his eyes, Kagome knew she wouldn't like it one bit.

"Look, I can give you whatever money I have if that's what you're looking for!" Kagome shoved her small purse to him. "Here, just take it and leave me alone!" Kagome tried yanking herself free again but he only pulled her closer.

"Girl, it's not your money I want."

…

Kouga didn't know if he was feeling depressed, lonely, miserable, angry or frustrated. Perhaps it was a nasty mixture of all of them. Whatever it was, Kouga felt the worst he had ever felt, possibly in his entire life. He felt totally helpless and vulnerable. The only other time he had felt this way was when his clan was ruthlessly slaughtered by Kagura. Even though it happened a while ago, thinking back on the incident still terrified him. He remembered feeling powerless to help his friends…his family.

Kouga felt the same way now, possibly worse. He had always thought of Kagome as his future mate, and as her male, it was his duty to always protect her. Due to certain circumstances, Kouga was unable to be with her as often as he'd like to; so he had entrusted her protection to the mutt, unfortunately. The dog was pretty tough though. He had proved this himself time and time again. Kouga wouldn't admit it, but he felt a little bit relieved to have Inuyasha protect Kagome while he was gone. But now Inuyasha didn't even know what had happened to his Kagome. Now, it was his turn to step up and pick up where the dog had failed. However, he wasn't doing a good job at that either seeing as how he couldn't even get to her, just to know that she was alright. He was worried. He knew that Kagome was a strong willed girl. She was capable of handling herself in her own time, that much he was sure of, but Kouga couldn't help but show concern for her well-being. The sheer frustration of just not knowing was eating him alive.

Kouga couldn't help but wonder what Kagome could be up to right now…

…

A swift kick to the groin and the man was huddled on his knees in pain. "You bitch! You're going to pay for that!"

Kagome kept running though, not daring to look back. Her legs felt as heavy as bricks and her head was still woozy from all the alcohol. She was getting so close to the shrine property. She tried to propel herself even faster towards the steps leading to her home. Her vision was blurry and the broken street light nearby did absolutely nothing to help the situation…but she knew she was almost there. Kagome knew she could make it. Then finally, she hit the shrine's steps and she immediately began scampering up them.

"MOM, GRANPA, SOUT-" but she was cut short by the feeling of being yanked backwards. Her breath hitched in her throat while she tumbled down the steps and grunted as they scraped painfully against her back. She heard her assailant make a "shh" noise. He then placed a hand over her mouth and proceeded to drag her into some nearby bushes.

Kagome couldn't believe what was happening to her. She knew exactly where this was going and she began to regret her decisions tonight. If only she had taken Eri up on her offer, she probably wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. If she hadn't drunk so many drinks, she'd probably have a better chance of getting away from her attacker. Just one bad decision after another. Now, here she was about to be brutally raped of her innocence by a complete stranger and she had nobody else to blame but herself.

The man forced Kagome to duck under and into the shallow shrubbery near the shrine's steps. The bushes were just tall enough to conceal the sin that was about to take place from the outside world. Quickly, he used a free hand to loosen his belt from around his waist and used it to bind Kagome's hands in an upwards position. Then he proceeded, never once removing his hand from her mouth so that her screams were muffled. Now that she was properly bound, he used his other hand to free her breasts from her top and began to bite and suck at them, hard. Kagome winced from the soreness of her breasts but she was not definitely prepared for what was about to come next. She heard a zipper undo.

She couldn't believe it! This was happening! This was really happening to her! Kagome's eyes welled up with tears as the reality of the situation hit her hard. She had been put into some serious dangerous situations before, but she always had her friends by her side, especially Inuyasha. She was never alone. She always had Inuyasha to come to her rescue. No matter how rough things got, he was always there for her. But now, she was alone, drunk and unable to fend for herself. The sad truth was that her handsome dog demon wouldn't be coming for her this time…

He fussed to undo her jeans and roughly yanked them down her thighs. Kagome tried to create as much resistance as possible, but her coordination and responses were still too sluggish to make a real difference. She managed to glance downwards to see his now protruding erection and she became even more horrified. This certainly was not the way Kagome had imagined losing her virginity; no girl would. Tears began to flow much more freely from her eyes now as he stroked himself for a brief moment, relishing in the luscious sight before him. He decided that he would have a little bit of fun first, before taking his prey. He scooted up until he sat on top of her chest. He pushed his cock near her mouth as he finally moved his hand.

"Come on girl, you know what to do."

Kagome's face was flushed with tears as he poked his cock around on her lips, trying to get her to open her mouth. Then she suddenly felt something cold against her neck. It was the coolness of a metal blade pressed against her neck.

"Scream or bite me, and I'll kill you. Now open."

Kagome didn't know what to do next. Would she rather die than to be the victim of this man's sick and twisted fantasy? Right about now, dying sounded much more pleasurable than this. Her mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts as to what she should do next but she couldn't figure out a plan. Whenever Kagome found herself in a hopeless situation, there was only one thing she could think to do, only one plea she could think to make.

'_INUYASHA!'_

…

Kouga sulked at the bottom of the well. He was just about ready to give up. What was he thinking trying to get into Kagome's time? It was a fool's errand to begin with. _'But Kagome, you've been gone for so long…I need to see you. Just to know that you're alright. Please…take me to her' _was Kouga's heartfelt request. He had never been more sincere about anything else in his entire life.

He felt a pulse beneath his feet, then another one. Kouga watched in awe as a soft, blue light surrounded him. Everything seemed to fade out of his view. He was no longer deep within the confines of the dark, dry Well. Rather, he was floating adrift in the soft blue light. Kouga then felt something warm emanating from his legs. He looked down to see the two jewel shards in his legs giving off a vibrant pink glow. The glow was so intense that he had to shield his eyes from their brilliance or else he was sure he'd be blinded. As quickly as the blue light came, it dissipated. Kouga then felt his feet touch solid earth again and he collapsed on all fours from the sheer strangeness of the experience. He had never, even in his wildest dreams witness something so ethereal in nature. And it had all come and gone so quickly. It was really dark now. Kouga glanced up and was shocked to see a wooden roof above his head.

"Now where did that come from?"

Deciding to find out for himself, Kouga leaped out of the Well and found himself within a shrine of some sort. None of this was here a moment ago. A few moments ago, there was grass, trees, and a broad open sky around the Well, not this shrine. That could only mean one possible thing. He couldn't believe it. Had he actually made it to Kagome's time? Kouga's heart skipped two beats and his excitement mounted with each passing second. Kagome's scent was faded here, but she had definitely visited this place recently. His heart raced a million miles a second as the realness of the situation actually settled in. He had done what the mutt couldn't.

Kouga had passed into Kagome's time.

He grinned widely as he approached the shrine's exit. "Yeah! I made it through that damn Well! Don't you worry Kagome, Kouga's comin' to see ya and-" Kouga froze when he opened the doors of the shrine. There was no way he could've properly prepared himself for the sights and smells of the twenty first century. His hands instantly flew to his nose in an attempt to stop the burning sensation he got when he stepped outside. The air was thick and smelly with some sort of smog and it caused his demonic sense of smell to go haywire.

"Kagome's world smells terrible! How can she stand to live in a place like this?" Kouga really wanted to puke but then he caught the scent he'd been searching for. But it wasn't good. Kouga wasted no time and he took off in the direction of Kagome's scent. He leaped down the tall staircase with ease and shoved his way through the bushes at the bottom of it. What Kouga saw made his demon blood boil. There lay his Kagome bruised and in tears with this strange man on top of her, forcing his cock into her mouth. Kouga growled loudly, a deep threatening wolf's growl that rumbled from within his throat. His ocean blue eyes had narrowed to mere slits as he attempted to keep his demonic rage at bay…for Kagome's sake only.

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF MY MATE" Kouga reached out, snatched the man by the neck and lifted him, ensuring that his claws more than punctured his skin. Kouga delighted in seeing the man's blood run down his wrist and arm. He wanted more. He needed, no, _demanded _more of this man's blood on his claws for what he had done to his woman. Kouga watched the man squirm in vain but it only fanned the flames of his bloodlust even more.

Kagome felt the man's weight lift off of her suddenly and she was taken aback. She turned her head up to see the man being hoisted in the air by another person. She could barely make out the silhouette of her saviour, but she was more than grateful nonetheless.

"I-Inuyasha…?" she whispered, still quite woozy.

Kouga was seething with rage. He delivered a swift punch to the man's face and loosened his grip so that he was sent flying from out of the bushes and landed against a wall. Kagome sat up, rubbed her head and squinted her eyes to see who this person was. He turned away from her and headed towards the man and it was then that Kagome saw his long dark ponytail and a wolf's tail…

Kouga approached the man who was still quite shocked from what had happened. He was gripping tightly onto his own bleeding throat as the blood flowed everywhere. He was horrified…and he had every right to be. Blood bubbled up within his throat when he attempted to beg for his pitiful life but he only managed to make gargling and coughing noises. Kouga fully intended to finish the job. How could this lowlife scum even _dare_ to force himself on his Kagome? He needed to pay with his life and Kouga would not stop until more of the man's blood was spilled. Since Kouga had met Kagome, a human's blood had never stained his claws or his teeth again. He had taken an oath never to harm a human being again and had even made this law in his pack. But this man was inexcusable. He'd rip apart anybody that tried to force himself on Kagome, human or demon. Kouga neared the man, slumped against the wall he tried to scamper away but Kouga wouldn't allow any of that. He reached out and snatched the man by the throat again, his claws digging into the very same wounds he had inflicted earlier.

"You worthless piece of shit…I'm going to tear you to shreds." He spoke slowly, his voice was now searing with anger. He held the man at his eye level just to allow his demon side feed off of the man's fear during his last moments of life. Kouga was about to tear into the man's stomach with his claws, with every intention of killing him.

"Kouga"

Kouga was instantly brought out of his demonic rage by the sound of Kagome's trembling voice. He turned to see her sitting upright and gazing at him and his heart broke seeing her tears flow down her face. Kagome gazed at him with a pleading look in her eyes. She hadn't said anything more but he knew she was telling him something. He had a good idea of exactly what that was too. "Don't kill him". Kouga knew Kagome would disapprove of him killing another human being, hell, so did he. But what this man had done to Kagome…how could he even think about sparing his life?

"Kouga, please don't…"

That soft plea was enough to weaken Kouga's heart enough to release his death grip from around the man's throat, although he wasn't happy about it at all. He did so with a very frustrated growl and shoved the man not so gently to the ground.

"Fine. Now get the hell away from here before I change my mind!" Kouga barked out at the man, but he didn't need to speak twice. The man scampered away from the furious wolf chief, never to be seen again.

**And that's the end of chapter 4 :D I really hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as I did. It was really a lot of fun to write especially Kagome's almost rape scene. Now that you've read, go ahead, click that fun little purple button and review! Let me know what you guys think and I'll be sure to update again real soon.**

**Bye for now **

**~nitriclove**


	5. Chapter 5

**.Chapter 5**

…

**Well I'm back with another chapter, thanks again to those who reviewed! My evil job kept me from finishing this chapter within the time I originally expected. But here it is nonetheless! In compensation, I tried to make this chapter a bit longer for you guys ^^**

**I had received an email from a reader that wanted to know more about the plotline of this story. Of course, Kouga breaks through Naraku's spell on the well and whatnot but it was brought to my attention that the original description was a bit vague. So I decided to post an extended description at the top of the first chapter. If anyone is interested, you can go back and read more of what this story is actually about. It's not much because I can't give away **_**all**_** my evil plans for this story but hopefully it will clear things up a bit. **

**Cheatcakes: Yeah he is like a knight who's armour happens to be shiny and furry xD But thinking about it yea I can totally picture Kuwabara saying that, hilarious! **

**Animenut09: Then you're going to **_**love**_** this chapter! Thanks again for your review =D**

**Anyways, it's time for me to shut the hell up and get on with the chapter!**

**Enjoy~!**

…

Kouga hastily ran to Kagome's side without a second thought. He had been so anxious and excited to see her that he almost didn't know what to do with himself. However, seeing someone making an attempt to steal her innocence shattered the ecstasy he had felt from passing through the Bone Eater's Well. He was now overcome with concern for the young maiden's well-being. Kouga kneeled down by her side and supported her back with his unsoiled hand and attempted to help her stand up. He could tell that she wasn't herself; she seemed to be sort of dazed and sluggish. Kouga couldn't help but wonder why.

"You okay Kagome? What happened?" he demanded.

Kagome's mind still hadn't fully digested the fact that this indeed was Kouga the wolf demon, standing here in her time, at her shrine's footsteps and had even almost killed a human. Her vision was still quite blurry, but she recognized that this was in fact Kouga here next to her. But that couldn't be. The how's and why's then began storming through her head.

"Kouga, what are you doing here?" She asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Was she hallucinating? She had to have been. It seemed that Kouga was really there next to her, but he couldn't have been. The Well had been closed off for months now and even Inuyasha hadn't come back for her. So how could Kouga just show up at her shrine's steps all of a sudden? He had never even visited her era before! It was just impossible. _'Kagome, this has to be some sort of hallucination. Seriously, lay off the alcohol next time' _she mentally scolded herself. But how could any of this be a hallucination? Everything felt so real. She could feel his strong arm wrap firmly around her waist as he helped her stand up, the heat of his body pressed against hers, his deep, masculine voice. This was all too real to be an alcoholic fantasy.

"Why else? I came to see you Kagome. It's been awhile so of course I had to check up on my woman." He shot her his signature rogue-ish smirk, trying to lighten up the mood a bit.

Oh yeah, this was definitely Kouga alright. But how had he managed to get through the Bone Eater's Well? Forget even making it through, how the hell did he even find out that she was from the modern age to begin with? She had never even mentioned that to Kouga before. Did he hear it from her friends back in the Feudal Era? What about Inuyasha then? If Kouga was here then Inuyasha must've been somewhere close by.

"Kouga, there's no way you can be here. The well...I mean, you. How did you…? No way is this happening" Kagome stuttered as she tried to gather her thoughts and make sense of her words.

"Don't you worry about any of that Kagome, I'll tell ya later. But for now, let's get you somewhere safe so you can rest. Was that stone hut I passed back there your den?" he motioned with his head up the shrine's steps as he scooped her in his arms. Kouga made sure she was comfortable before he began walking up the steps leading to her home, not really waiting for an answer.

"Uhm, yes I guess you could call it that…" Kagome's face heated as Kouga carried her towards her house. Sure, Kouga had saved her a few times before during battle and she couldn't count the number of times he had carried her like this. But for some reason, this time felt…different. Perhaps it was the tender nature of his embrace and how he took caution to handle her gently. He cradled her as if she were a delicate package that it was his responsibility to carry to a place where it could be safe. And in his eyes, indeed she was. Thinking about it more now, those other times, Inuyasha or her friends were always around, so being carried bridal style by Kouga had never been romantic. _'Oh, get a grip Kagome, you're losing it.'_ Come to think about it, she had never been truly alone with Kouga before. Until now that is. Not that this would change the way she felt towards Inuyasha or anything. But being alone and in Kouga's arms tonight felt so…

"Alright Kagome, we're here."

Kouga stopped in front of Kagome's home and bent his head to look up, taking note of every single architectural detail of the structure. He had really never seen anything like it. "Kagome, your pack must really be wealthy to afford a den as big as this one."

Kagome couldn't help but giggle a bit at the way he referred to her home and her family. Kouga looked like an adorable little child that was absolutely intrigued by a shiny new trinket. Wait, when did she ever find Kouga to be adorable in any way? She must really be losing it. _'This has been one really weird night.'_

"I wish my family was rich, but believe it or not, most houses in my time are about this size. Some are even larger, Kouga."

Kouga looked on in amazement. Sure, he had seen this thing when he first left the Higurashi shrine, but he hadn't taken the time to examine it properly as he had rushed to help Kagome.

"So your entire pack lives in here? Will I get to meet them?"

Kagome became slightly uncomfortable with that question. Let her family meet Kouga? Boy, she could only imagine how that would play out…not too good at all. But since he was already here, he would probably have to… She had to admit, that was something she wasn't exactly looking forward to.

"Maybe, but they're asleep right now Kouga. I don't want to wake them, so we'll have to go through my bedroom window. Be very quiet once we get inside okay?" Kagome pointed to a window on the upper floor of the house.

Kouga had no idea what a "bedroom window" was but he took the hint. He leaped up to the balcony and Kagome showed him how to slide the glass window open. Kouga was fascinated by the entire process. As soon as the window was opened, Kagome's scent came rushing to his nose, carried on a small gust of wind. He climbed inside without hesitation and set Kagome down. It was dark inside the room, though thanks to his wolf eyesight, he was able to see everything just fine. Kagome stumbled a bit from trying to walk without balancing herself first but Kouga caught her effortlessly of course.

"Thanks" she said as she walked to the wall of the room and fumbled around for the light switch. "There we go, much better." Light instantly filled the room which surprised Kouga. He looked around at all the bright colors and foreign materials about the room. "Kouga this is my room. Well, my 'den' as you seem to call it. Now you have to keep your voice down so we don't wake my family alright?"

Kouga nodded. He seemed to understand; that was good. Kagome took hold of his clean arm and began to lead him out of her room. "Now let's get that blood cleaned up off of you." Along the way, Kagome had tried to answer a few of Kouga's questions about this knick-knack and the next, but answering the constant flow of questions became tiresome. Finally they had made it down the hall and into the bathroom. She pushed him in first, followed him in and closed the door behind them both.

"This is a bathing room or bath room as we call it. This is also where we relieve ourselves. We don't take baths together, just one person at a time, so this is a very private place…" She said as she turned on the faucet and washed the demon's blood soaked hand. Kagome began to blush as she digested the situation. She realised just how small this bathroom actually was and how close Kouga was standing behind her. Then having to explain what happens in a bathroom… Kagome began to feel slightly uncomfortable under his towering form and looming gaze that she knew was directed onto her. Suddenly she felt like a deer that had been ensnared in the wolf's trap, simply waiting to be devoured, Kouga being her predator of course. She turned slightly and caught a glimpse of him smirking at her, showing off his pearly white fangs. Kouga knew that she was embarrassed about this close proximity of theirs yet he stood there smirking like a smart ass!

"So Kagome, what were you thinking bringing me to this very _private_ place?" he cooed right next to her ear. His warm breath tickled her ear and neck and Kagome felt a warm sensation run down her spine. He took his clean hand and parted back her hair away from one side of her neck, leaving the flesh exposed under his gaze. Kagome's blush spread, so did Kouga's smirk. Even though he wanted so much to have at her tender neck, he thought it was rather cute the way her face lit up like a tomato and he enjoyed every second of it. He traced a clawed finger very lightly up and down the length of her exposed neck, causing her to shudder.

"Don't you get any ideas buddy, it's NOT like that" Kagome warned. She tried to sound as threatening as possible, but even she could see through her act. She knew Kouga didn't buy it for a second. Kagome just busied herself with cleaning Kouga's bloody hand instead…although he was less interested in indoor plumbing and more interested in the girl washing his hand.

"It's alright Kagome, I can do this by myself."

"Oh, good then. When you're done come straight back to my room and don't go anywhere else okay?" Kouga nodded and gave her a playful salute as she closed the door.

Kouga loved that he could make Kagome get so flustered the way she was. To him, that was a good sign. If he was able to get her to respond to his gestures in such a way then that must mean that she felt something for him, right? That's all Kouga needed to know. He was determined to use this time he had alone with Kagome to truly let her know how he felt. After Kouga's hands were cleaned, he poked around at the various oddities in the bathroom. He grew bored quickly though and decided that Kagome, who was patiently awaiting him in a bedroom, would be much more interesting than anything the bathroom could offer.

Kagome had quickly changed into some comfortable cotton shorts and a fitted white t-shirt to sleep in for the night. Kouga would have to sleep in her room tonight. Just the thought of that had Kagome's mind reeling with many different thoughts. The only person who had ever set foot in her room from the Feudal era was Inuyasha. He had even spent a few nights in her home, but that's because she trusted Inuyasha. That and the fact that she could sit him if he ever got out of hand. But could she really trust Kouga? And what about that display in the bathroom? Sure, she had always known Kouga to be overly romantic with her, but back there, she could've sworn he was trying to seduce her or something. Was Kouga _really_ trying to make her his mate? As if on cue, Kouga stepped into Kagome's room and shut the door silently behind him. Kagome was removing the sheets from her bed and hadn't turned to face him yet. "Alright I guess you'll have to spend the night here. Now remember, first thing in the morning we – "

Kagome was cut short when she turned around to see Kouga standing there behind her. He had taken his armour off and held it bundled underneath his arm. There he stood, half naked holding out a crumpled bouquet of flowers in his hand for her to see.

"I had picked these for you when I came to look for you in the village Kagome. Then I heard you weren't there so I just decided to hold onto them until I found you. I wanted to give these to you personally. And I remembered you loved the flowers I gave you last time..."

Kagome was shocked to say the least, though she wasn't sure if she was more taken back by gift or by the toned, sculpted body of the gift giver himself. She sure didn't' see this coming but she really appreciated his gesture. Inuyasha had never done sweet things like this for her before and so she accepted them with much gratitude. She gave Kouga one of her sweet smiles as she took the flowers.

"I had pushed em' down into my armour earlier so I wouldn't forget them. Sorry they're so crushed up Kagome."

Kagome smiled again. "No Kouga, it's okay, they're perfect! I love them! I'll go set them in some water." Within seconds, Kagome had left and returned with a clear container of water and set it on her dresser. "There we go."_ 'So he tries to seduce me one moment, then give me flowers the next?'_

"I'm glad you like them Kagome."

Kagome went about spreading a few quilts on her room floor for Kouga to sleep on. "You'll be sleeping here tonight." She completed the makeshift bed by tossing a pillow on top of the sheets and proceeded to lie in her own bed. Kagome had wanted so much to just crash as soon as she had gotten home, but now that Kouga was here, she had to make sure that he was comfortable too.

Kouga released the fur bind holding his ponytail and allowed his silky hair to fall around his shoulders and back. He shook his head a bit and ran his fingers through his ebony locks. He then bent and proceeded to remove his fur leggings before lying down on the blankets. Kagome collapsed on her bed, too. She landed with a thud and a heavy sigh of relief. Kagome was just about to nod off to sleep when Kouga spoke.

"Kagome, I know it's probably not something you want to look back on, but where were you coming from when that bastard attacked you?"

Kagome rolled over to the edge of the bed to look at Kouga. Though it was dark now, she could still see the outline of his chiselled body stretched out on her floor with his arms folded behind his head. "Well, I was out with a few of my friends. We all live in this area so we walked home together. My home wasn't that far away from theirs so I figured I'd be able to get home safely. That man, whoever he was had been following us…"

Kouga listened very intently as she spoke. He had also noted that when he found her, she smelled of some sort of strange sake. Had Kagome been out drinking with her friends tonight? It seemed so. Kouga grinned inwardly. It seemed that Kagome did indeed have a wilder side that he had not yet discovered…

"But you know, I don't think I ever thanked you for saving me Kouga. Thank you." Kagome smiled down at the handsome wolf prince.

"No need to thank me Kagome. You know I'd protect you from anything, even if it costs me my life. You're my woman; it's in my natural instinct to protect you. " His voice sounded so deep and sincere; he really meant that. Sure he had said things like that to her all the time before, but now, it meant so much more… There was definitely something about Kouga tonight that seemed different than any other time she could recall. She couldn't quite place her finger on it though.

"You know, you never did tell me exactly how you got here. For some reason, I haven't been able to get back to the Feudal era and I've been stuck here for weeks. But here you are popping up out of nowhere, what's going on?"

Kouga just shrugged. "Like I said Kagome, I came into a small village looking for you earlier where I met dog breath and your other friends."

"You saw Inuyasha?"

He nodded. "Of course the puppy tried to pick a fight with me but I was much more interested in finding you Kagome. That's when the monk explained everything to me. He told me how you would travel through a dry well in the nearby forest so naturally I had to see this for myself."

"If you found them in a village near the Well then that must mean that they were in Kaede's village! You mean to tell me they've been waiting there all this time?" excitement mounted in Kagome's voice. They had been waiting for her. Inuyasha had been waiting for her. But wait, that meant that it was just as she feared. Inuyasha was unable to get through the Well, but why? What was going on over there?

"Wait a sec Kouga, so if I couldn't pass and neither could Inuyasha, then how did _you_ of all people make it through?"

Kouga pouted teasingly. "Aw c'mon Kagome, you didn't think I'd have what it takes to get through some stupid well? I'm shocked at you" He joked with a light chuckle and a glint of humour in his eyes. Kagome could've sworn that Kouga looked like a little kid that just wasn't getting his way. This was definitely a new side to Kouga that she hadn't seen before. He had always seemed so serious whenever he wasn't bickering with Inuyasha. Then again, the only time he wasn't bickering with Inuyasha was when they were in battle, so of course he'd have to be serious. His banter was contagious though and Kagome found herself smiling too. She playfully tossed a pillow at his head, causing him to throw up his arms, trying to catch it.

"Kouga c'mon, tell me. It's important" she said, trying to hush her giggles.

"I honestly dunno how I got through." He said nonchalantly with a shrug. Kagome almost fell over at that answer. Kouga was her only lead to solving this problem right now…yet he didn't even know how he did it? She laid down on her back and sighed.

"I was sittin' in that strange Well when I saw this really bright light. The shards in my legs got really warm and the next thing I knew, I was here."

That caught Kagome's attention. Kouga was able to get here because of his jewel shards? If that was the case, then why had she and Inuyasha been able to travel back and forth without them before? It didn't make any sense. All of this gave Kagome one big headache…as if her drunkenness helped the situation either.

Kagome just yawned. "Alright Kouga I'm having a major headache right now. We'll talk about this again…tomorrow. Just don't…leave my room at…all until I wake up…you got that…?" Kagome's voice trailed off as she began to doze off to sleep.

"I gotcha, but you know Kagome, I was in that Well for hours and I only got through when I wished and prayed for it to take me to you. I know you probably think this sounds dumb but I think - " Kouga paused mid-sentence at the sound of Kagome's soft snoring. He raised an eyebrow; that was sort of disappointing. She must have been really hung over from all that sake she must've drank. He grinned at that the thought of his Kagome chugging down a bottle of sake. That would definitely be a sight to behold.

Kouga rolled over on his side and clung onto the soft bedding Kagome had laid out for him. Her scent was everywhere; causing his senses to go haywire. The wolf was far from feeling sleepy right now. How could he help it? He was mere inches away from his woman whom he had been so anxious to see so sleeping was the last thing on Kouga's mind right now. It was ridiculous for Kagome to even ask him to sleep at a time like this! He stifled out a low, frustrated growl as he turned over on his back again. He turned his ocean blue gaze over to Kagome who was soundly asleep and groaned out of restlessness. Kouga really appreciated Kagome's hospitality by allowing him to stay in her home but he could think of other things he would rather be doing with Kagome right now instead. His devious wolf mind filled with various thoughts about doing this and that with Kagome, but he knew she probably wouldn't allow him to act them out. And he would certainly never try anything while she was asleep. But then again she would need her rest after what she had been through tonight. So those thoughts were thrown out of the window.

Kouga got up from the floor and decided that he would investigate Kagome's den for a while. He made his way over to what he could describe as a really tall table that had several clear vials of liquid sitting on top of it. He examined one of the bottles carefully. This thing Kagome called glass that humans came up with hadn't ceased to amaze him yet. He watched the pink liquid swoosh around inside of the bottle he was holding as he handled it. Kouga removed the lid and examined the strange nozzle. There seemed to be a certain scent coming from it so he held it up to his face. He accidentally pressed down on the nozzle which sent a spray of the scented liquid straight into his eyes.

"ARRRGH! WHAT THE HELL!" Kouga dropped the bottle and covered his burning eyes. He stumbled backwards and bumped into Kagome's bureau, tumbling over the other perfume bottles. "Oh shit" He hurriedly tried to gather the falling bottles, but to no avail. _'Damnit, Kagome's gonna kill me. She must've heard all that noise'_ Kouga was reluctant to turn around out of fear of meeting the eyes of a very angry Kagome. One peek over his shoulder, then he turned around completely. There lay Kagome, still peacefully asleep. _'Phew'_ He breathed a sigh of relief. Kouga figured it would be best not to mess with Kagome's odd belongings. Instead, he returned to the comfort of the soft sheets. It was then that he heard a scratching noise at the door.

He jumped up immediately at the sound and growled. An intruder? How dare they try to invade Kagome's den! "Not while I'm around" Kouga growled out as he approached the door. He was about to lunge when he opened the door to find that there was nobody there.

"Mrrrrrroooooooowww?"

"Huh?" Kouga looked down to see a chubby cat walk into the room. "It's just a cat." He stated as he bent down to pick up Buyo by the scruff of his neck, much to the feline's dismay. "This must be Kagome's pet. What the hell does she feed this thing? It's huge!" Kouga said while poking at its stomach with just the tip of his claw.

"Mroow!" And with one sweep of the paw, Buyo scratched Kouga's hand and wriggled free of his grasp.

"AGH! Stupid cat! I outta eat you alive for that!"

Buyo was totally unphased by the wolf demon's threat though. Instead, he casually leaped up onto Kagome's bed, stretched, then settled in a spot right next to the sleeping girl. He was as content as could be. Kouga scowled at the feline one last time before he returned to his spot on the floor. He laid there for a few minutes, listening to the sound of Kagome's soft snoring. It was actually quite relaxing he had to admit, but for some reason he still couldn't get to sleep. He was getting really fed up. He had already almost lost his sense of sight _and_ smell because of Kagome's stingy stuff, then her cat nearly tore his hand off…and to top it all off, he had to wait until morning to talk to Kagome even though he had been away from her for so long! Just his luck. Kouga glanced up at Kagome's sleeping form again, when an idea came to him. _'Why should I be down here when my woman is up there? Kagome won't mind if I move a little closer…' _Kouga stood up and turned to face Kagome's bed. _'It'll only be for tonight.' _

"Alright, move over ya big lug." Kouga said as he rolled the sleepy Buyo away from Kagome. "It's my turn."

"Mrrrooowww" Buyo drowsily protested as he was being rolled away. He stretched and settled against Kagome's feet instead. Kouga carefully climbed into the bed and laid down next to Kagome. He was slightly unsure if he was doing the right thing but he had already gotten this far, so he might as well follow through with it. Once he was lying comfortably behind her, he carefully wrapped one arm around her waist and brought her to him. Kouga was surprised at how warm she was and he couldn't help but blush at their proximity. His heart was racing a thousand miles a minute but his tenseness eased when he saw that she hadn't woken up and pushed him away. He propped himself up on his elbow and gazed at the sleeping girl in admiration; she was truly beautiful.

A gust of wind came rushing in through the window and Kagome shivered in response. Kouga immediately began stroking her exposed arm and thighs in order to generate some heat on her body. He brought his head to sit atop hers while he rubbed her shoulder. That elicited a soft moan of pleasure from Kagome, causing his face to take on an even deeper shade of red. Kouga knew that he could've just as easily grabbed one of the sheets that were lying on the floor to spread over them both, but he wanted to keep her warm himself. Laying here with Kagome in his arms, their bare legs intertwined with each other, the feel of Kagome's head lying against his bare chest…Kouga preferred it this way. He would have it no other. Just then, Kagome stirred next to him. Was she waking up? Kagome turned to face him in her sleep and cuddled closer against his chest. Kouga began blushing even more than ever now and he brought his hand up behind her head and began stroking her raven hair. "Kagome…" he whispered as he continued caressing her.

"Inuyasha…" she mumbled out.

Kouga's breath hitched in his throat. _'She's dreaming of the mutt' _he thought to himself. The thought that Kagome had been dreaming of Inuyasha right now did in fact hurt Kouga very deeply. But it didn't matter though. The only thing that mattered was being with his Kagome right now. He had never gotten the chance to hold Kagome like this and he sure as hell wasn't about to let mutt face ruin this for him. Not now. He only cradled Kagome tighter, relishing her warmth and her exquisite scent. Kouga would have her as his tonight…if only just for one night.

…

Daylight peeked through the bedroom window. A soft breeze wafted in, causing the curtains that hung loosely by the window to briefly billow up before returning back to their resting place. The soft glow of morning settled upon the sleeping faces of Kagome, Kouga and Buyo who still lay asleep on the bed. Kouga, who was used to waking up at the break of dawn hadn't even so much as stirred from the position he had fallen asleep in a few hours before. Sleeping next to his woman and inhaling her intoxicating scent had been more than enough to pacify him for a few extra hours.

A pair of steps was heard climbing the stairs of the home. As they reached the top of the stairway, they veered left towards Kagome's room. One turn of the doorknob and…

…

"AHHH! KAGOME HAS BEEN BEDDED BY A DEMON!" Kagome's grandfather shrieked at the top of his lungs at the sight of Kagome and Kouga asleep together on the bed. The two began to wake from their sleep as he proceeded to fling dozens of his "sacred sutras" all over them in an attempt to purify Kouga and save Kagome. As if those weren't enough, he followed that up with waves and waves of holy powder.

"BE GONE YOU FILTHY DEMON! BE GONE!"

Kagome's head was pounding as she was rudely awakened from her sleep. However, Kouga was ten times more annoyed than Kagome was and was now baring his fangs while shielding his face from the powder. Kagome began to open her eyes when she noticed a _very_ finely defined, lean body right next to her face. She blushed as her sleepy eyes trailed upwards to meet the sight of Kouga's handsome face. His ebony hair was not bound in a ponytail as she was accustomed to seeing. Instead, it fell around his shoulders and chest and was slightly tussled. Kagome stared at him for a few seconds in awe before she actually realized what was going on.

"K-Kouga!" she backed away from him as if he had just bitten her. "W-what are you doing in my bed!"

"My poor Kagome, that evil demon has seduced you! Get away from there and get behind me so I can protect you child!" the old man hollered as he continued throwing his sutras and powder.

"GRANDPA?"

Kagome could've sworn that her headache got even worse. This was definitely _not_ the way she had envisioned introducing Kouga to her family. She noticed Kouga next to her baring his fangs and growling, clearly holding himself back. _'At least he's behaving.'_

"No grandpa, stop! He's a good guy, like Inuyasha"

Kouga's eyebrow twitched in absolute annoyance. _'She could've at least left out the Inuyasha part.' _

"Listen here old man, relax, I aint here to hurt Kagome" Kouga said standing up out of the bed to confront him.

"Then what are your intentions with my granddaughter demon?" he questioned, while sizing up this demon.

"I intend to make Kagome my mate one day." Kouga replied simply.

Kagome wanted to just fade out of existence at that precise moment and never return to this utterly mortifying reality. Kouga never had any subtlety when it came to proclaiming his love for her. Sure she thought it was sweet and all but she knew her grandpa definitely wouldn't react well to what Kouga said. And she was right.

"NO! Kagome will never become the mate of a demon! Kagome, stand back while I vanquish this demon that has defiled you!"

"Defiled?" Kouga and Kagome repeated in unison.

"No grandpa, I know what it looks like but you've got it all wrong! Nothing happened!" Kagome exclaimed. _'Did it?' _After all, she had been passed out the entire night and if she remembered correctly, Kouga was still quite wide awake next to her.

Kouga narrowed his eyes; what kind of low life scum did this old man take him for? He was the proud leader of the Eastern Wolf Demon Clan! He would _never_ make a move like that on Kagome…well at least not while she was asleep, anyways. He looked Kagome's grandfather in the eyes. "Don't worry. Nothing happened between me and Kagome, you got that?"

"See grandpa, I told you. He's a good demon. Now we'll both be down in a minute and then I can explain what's going on here. " Kagome said as she proceeded to escort him out of her room.

"Hey, Kagome who's that?" came another voice.

"Oh no…" Kagome's morning couldn't get any worse. Her brother Souta had been passing through the hall and came to see what the commotion was about. And all this talk of her being a demon's mate was definitely not something she wanted her kid brother to hear. Souta poked his head into the room and his eyes went wide when he saw Kouga standing there.

"Where'd he come from Kagome? Is he a friend of yours? And did I hear grandpa say he was a demon? That's so cool!" the boy began rambling on with all sorts of questions. Kagome's head was beginning to spin and fast. Her grandfather was still rambling on about them sharing the same bed and now Souta was here. Kagome swore she'd lose her sanity any moment.

"OKAY ENOUGH ALREADY!"

Everyone stopped and the room fell silent as all eyes were now trained on her. "Grandpa, Souta, I'll meet you _both_ downstairs in a minute. Ask mom to set out another plate for breakfast please and thank you." And with that she shooed both of them through the door and closed it behind them. Kagome turned around and braced against the door with a heavy sigh of relief.

"Sorry about all this Kouga, I had no idea my grandfather would come in to check up on me." Kagome said as she approached Kouga and began to dust off the holy powder from his hair.

"It's alright Kagome. Are they always this charming?" he said sarcastically.

Kagome smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. My grandfather claims to have exorcized many demons back in his day, so that's why he went totally ballistic on you just now. So I'm really sorry about this Kouga" she explained with a small chuckle.

Just then, Kouga took Kagome's hands in his and stared intensely into her chocolate brown eyes as he normally would. "There's no need to apologize, Kagome. I'm just grateful that you've allowed me to spend the night in your home."

Kagome wasn't exactly sure what to say. Since Kouga had gotten here, she had reacted oddly to every little gesture he made towards her and she couldn't figure out why. And it's not like he was doing anything different from what he had always done back in the Feudal Era. Surely Kouga would've noticed what was going on.

But wait a second. There was one thing Kagome almost forgot…"Kouga, can you tell me what you were doing in my bed this morning?" she asked flatly.

"Well Kagome you looked rather cold and lonely last night so I came to keep you warm." He leaned in close to her and lowered his voice to a husky whisper right next to her ear. "What better way to keep you warm than using my own body heat, Kagome?"

Now Kagome was really rattled and her face reddened instantly. _'He's doing it again! He must be doing this on purpose! I'm sure he's just getting a kick out of getting me worked up like this!' _Kagome's hands flew to her face in embarrassment, possibly trying to hide her intense blush that she knew had crept onto her face. Kouga had to have known what he was doing to her and Kagome didn't like that he had this newfound power over her. _'Alright Kagome, breathe and take it easy. Don't let him get the better of you. It's only Kouga, remember?' _With Kouga so close to her now, that was much easier said than done. She decided to change the subject and hopefully create a diversion.

"Well I'm gonna have to explain you to my family Kouga. So it's best that you get cleaned up first." Kagome said as she turned away and went about busying herself with this and that around her bedroom. "You could use a shower."

"A shower?"

…

Kagome slowly descended the stairway of the Higurashi home with Kouga as well as Buyo in tow. She had to admit that she was somewhat nervous about letting Kouga meet her family. But what choice did she have? After that embarrassing encounter with her grandfather not very long ago, she definitely owed them an explanation…

Kouga had been a little tense about meeting Kagome's family. The only other humans besides Kagome he had ever met were her two companions, the monk and the demon slayer. He was hoping he wouldn't offend them in any way. After all, first impressions were lasting ones, weren't they? These people could quite possibly be his in laws one day so Kouga had to be sure this went right. This home of Kagome's was quite strange though. He couldn't help but examine every little thing. His blue orbs scanned each and every detail throughout the home as they approached the dinner table. The two were greeted by Kagome's mother who had just finished laying out the last set of dishes for their breakfast.

"So you must be this demon grandpa has told me about." Kagome's mother said as she examined Kouga carefully.

"Mom, this is Kouga. He's a friend of mine from the Feudal Era. Kouga this is my mother, my grandpa that you met earlier, and my little brother Souta." Kagome said as she gestured towards each person sitting at the table.

Kagome's grandfather just scowled to himself. He was clearly upset by the fact that this demon had shared a bed with his granddaughter and was now a welcomed guest at their dining table. Souta was all too interested in the demon to notice his grandfather's troubled expression and made his way over to Kouga.

"Wow, so you're a demon like Inuyasha?" he asked wide eyed as he circled Kouga. "Oh but look! He's got a tail Kagome!"

"Well Souta he's not _exactly_ like Inuyasha…" Kagome began, noticing Kouga's irate expression. She knew he hated being compared to Inuyasha, but she couldn't help it if Souta didn't know any better.

"Mutt face is a half demon, and he's just a mongrel dog. _I _am a full blooded wolf demon, leader of the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe…" Kouga began, only to find that Souta was much more interested in poking at his tail. _'Kids' _he thought, rolling his eyes.

Kagome's mother shooed her zealous son away from Kouga's tail and gestured for them to have a seat at the dinner table. "So, Kouga was it? Can you tell us how you got here? You obviously came from the Feudal Era, but how? Kagome hasn't been able to get back for months now."

"Well I'm not really sure to be honest. All I know was there was this really bright light coming from my jewel shards and the next thing I knew, I ended up here" he explained. Kouga was more occupied with inspecting the various foods laid out on the table, unsure of what exactly they were.

"And if that's the case, then I'm hoping that whatever was wrong with the well is fixed now and I can go back to the Feudal Era today." Kagome piped happily as she ate her mother's delicious cooking. Then she looked over to Kouga to find him fiddling with his pair of chopsticks and cursing under his breath. She had totally forgotten that Kouga was used to eating with his hands his entire life so of course he wouldn't know how to work chopsticks. She smiled as she leaned over and adjusted the chopsticks in his hands. _'At least he's trying.'_

"Here, like this." Kagome said as she demonstrated using her own chopsticks. After some fiddling around with them, Kouga finally got the hang of it and happily gobbled down the strange human food. "This stuff…is pretty good" he said in between mouthfuls. Kagome's mother just smiled, not minding his apparent lack of table manners one bit. "Well I'm glad you like it Kouga, eat to your heart's content."

"Hmph, well onto more pressing matters, what was this demon doing in your bedroom last night Kagome?" her grandfather asked her suspiciously, though he never took his gaze from Kouga.

"Don't worry grandpa, Kouga actually saved me from being attacked last night on my way home." Her family looked at her with wide eyes at what she had told them.

"Somebody attacked you? Are you alright dear? Did you get a good look at them?" Kagome's mother asked with urgency and worry evident in her voice.

"I'm fine mom. Like I said, Kouga came in the nick of time and he saved me. Though it sure hasn't been the first time he's saved me in battle." Kagome didn't think that she had the heart to tell her family that she had almost been raped by a complete stranger that had followed her home. "And after what Kouga did to the guy, I don't think he'll ever be coming near here again either" she finished with a triumphant smile.

While he was eating, Kouga had been intently listening to Kagome tell her family of what happened, and he couldn't have been more proud than he was at that moment. Hearing his woman speak of how he had come to her rescue made his chest burst with pride and it elated his very spirit to hear it. He just smiled inwardly as he gobbled down the last bit of food in his bowl before setting it down with a satisfied sigh.

"Oh Kouga, I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter" Kagome's mother said.

He simply shrugged. "No need to thank me. I'd do absolutely _anything_ to keep Kagome safe and out of harm's way. Protecting her from some low life is nothing."

"It's a good thing you showed up when you did or who knows what would've happened to Kagome." Kagome's mother bowed to him in respect. Kagome's grandfather still eyed Kouga suspiciously from across the table. This one seemed genuine enough, but being a demon he could never be completely trusted. But he decided he would leave the wolf be…for now.

"Wow, so what did you do to the guy, Kouga? You must've beaten him pretty bad huh?" Souta asked, absolutely spellbound with the wolf demon now.

"You know it kid. I wanted to rip that guy to shreds for making an attempt on Kagome." Souta had caught onto each and every word Kouga was saying. "Believe me, I would have but Kagome told me I should spare the worm's life so I didn't bother to finish him off." Kouga finished with a bit of a huff and crossed arms. If Kagome wasn't so kind hearted, he would've done exactly as he just said he would, probably even worse.

"So grandpa, is there any reason you came looking for me this morning?" Kagome decided to ask before the conversation diverged into a bloody tale of heroism.

"Hm? Oh yes, your friends had called here looking for you Kagome. Now what was it…what did they say now…" The elderly man answered deep in thought. He stroked his beard as he struggled to remember what it was he needed to tell Kagome. "That's right; they called to say that they were coming over to finish a group project you all had. They should be here in five minutes."

"WHAT?"

Kagome had completely forgotten about the term project she and her friends Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had agreed to finish at her house this morning. She turned to look at Kouga who was now giving her a very disturbed look. _'And what am I supposed to do with him?' _Great. Kagome really wished there was a guide to hiding your egotistical wolf demon from your prying modern day friends, but unfortunately there wasn't. She had no clue where to start. "Grandpa, you know you could've mentioned that a lot sooner."

"Sorry Kagome, I must've forgotten. You know this old brain isn't as strong as it used to be."

"What am I gonna do now? I can't possibly let those three see Kouga" Kagome said with a sigh.

Kouga was definitely curious as to exactly who these friends of Kagome's were now. "And why not? There something wrong with me?"

"No but people in this time aren't used to seeing long claws and fangs on people, Kouga." Souta interjected. "They'd totally freak!"

As if on cue, there was a knock heard on the front door. "Kagome, it's us! Are you home?" she heard Ayumi call out from the outside.

"No! They're here already!" Kagome frantically jumped up from the table and looked around the room quickly, as if trying to find some way to conceal Kouga. "Souta!" she roared out, causing him to flinch a bit at her tone.

"Y-yeah, sis?"

"I'll need you to keep Kouga upstairs in my room for a while!" Allowing no room for argument, she began to push the both of them up the stairs. "And make sure he doesn't leave! You hear that Kouga?"

"Kagome, there's no way you're gonna get me back in there again! I came all this way just to -"

"Kouga you're going!" she protested which flabbergasted him, no doubt.

"I'm sorry Kouga but I really need you to cooperate with me right now okay? We'll be done in a minute, I promise." And with that she shoved them both up the staircase and into the hallway and hurriedly ran back downstairs. After Kagome was sure the both of them were gone she bolted for the door to greet her friends. "Hey guys, we were just finishing up breakfast here." Kagome said a bit more unevenly than she would've liked. "Come on in."

Her friends accepted her invitation and followed her inside. "Oh hi girls" Kagome's mom sweetly greeted as she cleared the plates from the table. They bowed to her in respect. "So Kagome, was last night a lotta fun or what!" Eri cheered.

"Eh heh, yeah, sure. Let's get started shall we guys?"

…

"So remind me why I'm stuck in here again, kid?" Kouga was still quite confused as to what had transpired just now but the way Kagome had handled them both, he almost mistook her for an alpha female. That was the second time Kagome had put him in his place and left him speechless. But he sure didn't mind it one single bit. _'That's my woman.'_

"Kagome's nosey friends are down there and if they see you, Kouga they'll totally freak out! Remember, there aren't any demons in this time. Plus they're probably gonna end up thinking you're Kagome's boyfriend or something. Then they definitely won't leave!"

"Woah, wait a sec kid. You think there aren't any demons in this time?" Kouga almost wanted to burst into fits of laughter at the outrageous claim.

Souta just shrugged. "It's a fact Kouga. You just don't see people running around with claws and fangs these days."

"Yeah, but we demons can live for hundreds of years, easy. I'm sure as hell there's demons around here somewhere."

"Yeah well none of that stuff matters right now Kouga. We just havta keep you hidden until Kagome's friends are gone okay? Kagome's room is boring though… I know! You can come hang out my room, I have all sorts of cool stuff to show you!" And without warning Souta latched onto the wolf demon's arm and dragged him into his room. Kouga's dull expression couldn't hide the fact that he was definitely feeling bummed out about having to baby sit Kagome's child brother instead of spending time with her like he had been dying to do. In this case though, it was probably the other way around.

The two had been together for a few hours, Souta bombarding the misfortunate wolf demon with all sorts of trinkets and things from the modern era. However, none of them fascinated him more than the bright image box that the kid had called a "tee-vee". Kouga had been enthralled with it ever since he first laid eyes on the strange device. Souta had attempted to explain electricity to Kouga and how it powered the television, but Kouga decided that the peculiar thing was clearly possessed with some sort of magic. But it was still fascinating nonetheless. Time had passed and the two now settled comfortably on the carpeted floor while a movie played on in the background, the television long forgotten. Souta was now showing Kouga some of his handheld racing video games and even let him play some of them. Kouga was amused by the little device but there was one question nagging at the back of his mind.

"So whaddya think Kagome is up to right now?" Kouga asked, not removing his intense gaze from the screen in front of him.

"I dunno, they're probably still finishing up their project or talkin' about clothes and boys or something" Was Souta's mumbled reply, though Kouga heard him quite clearly. The young boy was obviously more interested in beating Kouga in the race they were both competing in.

"Boys, huh?" That certainly caught Kouga's interest. "She ever talk about me, kid?"

"Uhm maybe. I think so…"

"Either you know or you don't."

"Mhm.."

"Well which is it?" Kouga was beginning to grow impatient.

"YES! I made it! First place!" Souta jumped up and cheered in triumph.

Kouga looked down at his screen again to see that he had ranked last place, but that was not what was bothering him. "Yeah, yeah, you beat me. Now are you gonna answer my question or not?"

"Huh? What question was that?"

Kouga fell over at that. _'Geez this kid's got an attention span worse than a damn sloth demon!' _he raged in his mind. "I asked you if Kagome ever talks about me" He ground out slowly, trying to hold back the urge to strike the kid in the head for not listening. After all, he was the alpha of a wolf demon pack so Kouga couldn't help it if he wasn't used to repeating himself.

"Oh, well uh, no not really. She does talk about Inuyasha a whole lot though."

Kouga cast his gaze to the floor in disappointment. _'Of course she does.' _What else could he have expected?

However, that did not go unnoticed by Souta. He eyed Kouga for a while before slowly speaking. "Kouga…you don't like Inuyasha very much…do you…?"

"Yeah, what was your first hint kid?" was his sarcastic reply.

"Why? He seems pretty cool to me and he seems to really like Kagome, too." Souta studied the demon's annoyed expression for a few moments. It was then that his eyes went wide with realization. "Kouga, you love Kagome _too_, don't you? That's why you don't like Inuyasha!"

The wolf demon got up from his place on the floor and proceeded to the door. He definitely wasn't in the mood to talk about mutt face right now. "You're smarter than I thought, kid."

"Hey wait! Where are you going?"

"Where do ya think? I'm gonna go see what Kagome's doing" Kouga said nonchalantly. He had found that his time spent with Souta was rather interesting but he decided that he had enough of the child's company and desired that of Kagome's instead.

Souta scrambled to his feet and raced to the door, ahead of Kouga. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and leaned against the door. "I can't let you leave yet Kouga. Her friends are probably still down there. Kagome is gonna kill me if I let them see you!"

"Don't worry about it kid, I just wanna take a quick look. They won't even know I'm here, I promise." Kouga reassured as he picked up the child in front of him and tossed him over his shoulder effortlessly. Kouga was just a bit frustrated having been cooped up inside for so long. He at least wanted to stretch his legs a bit. A few pointless protests from Souta and the two were soon out the door and in the hallway. Kouga hadn't bothered to let Souta down, figuring that the boy would cause too much of a raucous trying to sneak behind him which would result in them being caught. So he skilfully stealthed through the hallway and stopped short of the railing that overlooked the living room as well as the dining room where the girls worked.

Both pairs of eyes peered down the railing at the unsuspecting girls below them. "See Kouga, they're not doing anything interesting so let's go back. " Souta whispered next to Kouga's ear.

Kagome's eye twitched. She could sense his jewel shards hovering right above her head. Did they honestly believe she was stupid and wouldn't notice? She glanced up at the stairway she was facing and saw both Kouga and Souta peeking out from behind the railing. Kagome wasted no time in casting them both a frightening death glare that neither of them would be sure to forget anytime soon. Ayumi glanced up at Kagome in curiosity.

"Hey Kagome, are you alright?" she turned her head to see just what it was Kagome had been glowering at but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh it's nothing, really!" she reassured. "Now let's look at this second paragraph here…" 'T_hat was too close. He and Souta are gonna get an earful of it when I'm done here!' _

"Y-you think that other girl saw us Kouga?" Souta asked, clearly shaken up and breathing heavily.

Kouga just smirked, showing off his fangs. "Nah, I was too fast for her human eyes to keep up."

Souta rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, now let's go."

Two more hours of being trapped in Souta's room and Kouga swore he was losing his sanity. He needed fresh air, to run and feel the wind rushing against his face again. Kouga paced back and forth impatiently throughout the room while Souta sat, watching a cartoon on the T.V.

"Just try to relax for a few more minutes Kouga. I'm sure they'll be done soon." Souta spoke over his shoulder towards the irritable wolf demon.

"You said that _hours_ ago!" Kouga barked out.

Souta sighed and turned around to face him fully, not frightened in the least by Kouga's rage. "Look, I know they've been down there forever, but school work is complicated. And it's a term project they're working on so they've gotta make sure they get it right."

Kouga just frowned. He didn't have a single clue as to what "school work" or a "term project" was but whatever they were, he had developed a new found hatred for them if they kept Kagome busy for this long. Kouga decided that he would have to find another way out, without worrying the little human child. He could've sworn the kid would have a heart attack when they snuck out into the hallway before. So what else could he do? Kouga suddenly stopped pacing back and forth and smirked to himself.

"Hey, you mentioned earlier that there aren't any demons in this time right?"

Souta turned around again to give Kouga an inquisitive look. "Yeah, so what about it?"

"Well how much do you wanna bet that there _are_ demons in this world? You just don't know it."

Kouga definitely captured the boy's full attention now. "No way, grandpa says there aren't any! He says all of the demons were killed off a long, long time ago!" Kouga's eyes darkened with mischievousness as he knew his plan was working.

He pretended to examine his claws casually. "We demons are better at disguising ourselves much better than you might think, especially from humans. A demon may have walked right passed you yesterday and you _didn't even know it_."

"How can you be so sure Kouga?"

"A demon can always sense another demon ya know. And I dunno kid, I've been gettin' some pretty strange vibes about this place…" Kouga walked around the room, seemingly examining or searching for something, though it was actually nothing at all. It didn't matter though. He could tell by Souta's enthralled state that he had him wrapped tightly around his clawed finger already. "You're saying there's a demon close by?"

Kouga simply nodded. "Very close. But of course you'd probably be too afraid to confront a _real_, man-eating demon…" he ventured off.

"No way! I'm not afraid of some stupid demon! What should we do Kouga?"

"Let's go on a demon hunt."

…

**More chapters to come so remember to review this chapter my lovelies! I thrive off of your feedback! I'll be back again with another update! **


	6. Chapter 6

.Chapter 6

…

**Here's another chapter for you guys and I hope you all enjoy it. Remember to R&R! And I'll be sure to update more often ^_^**

…

The painful numbness slowly crept its way up the length of her restrained arms which were hoisted high above her head. Her legs also began to ache from having been in the same position for so long with little to no movement allowed. Mizuki wasn't aware of exactly how long she had been kept prisoner in this dungeon, nor did she have any idea as to why. The demon that had apprehended her, what was his name again… Tesoha, she was sure he called himself. He had been extremely vague about why she was brought here in the first place. He had mentioned one called Naraku, and so far, all she knew was that this person wanted her here for some reason. It was several hours ago since she had first learned that piece of information, she was sure. Since then she had been periodically slipping in and out of consciousness and even now, it proved to be a chore for her to simply stay awake.

"Something's definitely wrong in this place." She squinted her eyes, trying to make out anything within the darkness of the vacant, chilly prison. Two small, flickering torches posted on both sides of what seemed to be a long hallway before her, offered little to no aid to the hopeless situation.

Mizuki struggled to fight off the overbearing urge to drift off into unconsciousness again. Her spiritual powers were waning and she knew exactly why. It had to do with the overpowering demonic aura that radiated from the entire building. The stench of sin and a thick cloud of miasma hung within the air all around her, making Mizuki sick to the inner core of her being. Whoever this Naraku person was and whatever it was that he could possibly want from her, she knew that it couldn't be good.

She would need to try her best to preserve some of her spiritual powers before they were completely suppressed by the evil in this place…she would most likely need to call on them for protection later. Mizuki closed her eyes in silent meditation as she concentrated on finding her centre, pushing out all negative thoughts from her mind. With a shaky voice, barely above a whisper, she began to offer up her prayers to the sacred Buddha for balance, serenity and good fortune in spite of her hopeless situation. It was then that she heard footsteps approaching, followed by an unsettling chuckle that made her blood run cold. It was him again. That demon; he had come back.

"What could you possibly be babbling on about, priestess?" Tesoha cooed, his voice as velvety as silk and a small smirk present on his pale lips. His lean figure emerged from the shadows of the main hallway until he stood in the dim light in front of her, casually leaning against a wall. With arms folded and eyes glistening with what seemed to be interest or perhaps even humour, the demon let out a whole hearted laugh.

"What do you want now…? Have you…come to torment me, demon?" Despite her weakness, Mizuki spoke in utter annoyance that she'd been interrupted from her prayers by the likes of him.

Tesoha gasped mockingly at her accusation, "Who, me? I would never even dream of tormenting a woman who's beauty is as astounding as yours."

"Your flattery falls upon deaf ears, demon" she spat. Mizuki narrowed her eyes as she watched him gracefully stride to the opposite side of the chamber in several fluent movements. What was this demon's purpose for coming to see her again? Surely he had to have a greater purpose for coming here than to simply shower her with useless compliments. It took everything she had to stay on guard for what could possibly happen next.

"Feisty." He said, watching her intently from where he now stood. "And please, I prefer that you call me Tesoha, m'lady. 'Demon' sounds a bit, well…crude, don't you think?" an almost pleasant smile upon his lips.

She didn't answer; she couldn't. Mizuki struggled to keep her eyes focused on the demon in front of her but with each passing second; doing that became more and more difficult.

He noticed her plight and considered that she must have been growing weak from the cloud of miasma that wafted around the castle's interior. And who could blame her? Not many mortals could withstand Naraku's deadly poisons, though to him, the miasma cloud was simply a minor nuisance. Naraku seemed to enjoy basking in the toxic fumes of his own poisonous gases and wrongfully assumed that his incarnations shared his dreadful tastes as well. How conceited and inconsiderate he must be, Tesoha thought. He assumed Naraku would know better, too. He was harbouring this mortal woman here in this castle, yet how could he have possibly expected her to survive long enough to carry out his plans when he was practically suffocating her to death? He was surprised that she had been able to live as long as she had, given the circumstances. Perhaps that reflected on the true extent of the girl's spiritual power. Naraku's little 'project' might actually prove to be quite interesting after all.

A ragged cough from the young priestess brought Tesoha back into reality from his ponderings. Her limp body, suspended only by shackles began to shudder as she coughed repeatedly. _'The miasma is now becoming too much for her mortal body to handle.' _Tesoha silently watched her for a few moments more before he turned his body to face her completely.

"I think it's about time to move you to a better location, priestess. We simply can't have you dead…well at least, not just yet." he said with a newfound air of seriousness as he soundlessly moved closer to the bars of her prison.

Mizuki barely managed to subdue her coughs as the demon approached her. Though, she had heard every word he had just spoken. "What are you…planning to do?" she scarcely managed to speak. _'And how would killing me of all people possibly benefit this Naraku? I've never even heard of such a demon. Why is it that he desires my life?'_

He didn't answer. Tesoha lifted a palm facing the wooden confines of the prison and proceeded to walk forward. His palm seemed to de-materialize through the bars and reformed once more once on the other side. The rest of his body followed, the entire process taking mere moments to complete and there he was, standing on the inside of the prison.

The young priestess noticeably tensed at the sight of the dark towering figure now in front of her. He then began to loosen the heavy restraints that bound her to the cold stone wall. Mizuki felt her body collapse under her in her weakened state now that her support had been removed; however she found that she did not collide with the ground as she had anticipated. She looked to find the demon's arms wrapped around her, offering her much needed support.

The priestess struggled violently to remove herself from his embrace and surprisingly, Tesoha complied and set her down gently on the ground. He then proceeded to undo the remainder of the shackles from around her feet and wrists.

"Tough girl aren't we? I assume you can walk on your own then"

Mizuki made it a point to toss him an irritated look as she proceeded to stand on her feet. She had no idea that it was even possible for a demonic aura as well as miasma to be so powerful, that it almost paralysed her. In her years serving as a priestess, she had never encountered an aura quite as mighty as this. No doubt, this Naraku character had to be the one responsible for it. She needed to find a way out. Ignoring her body's screams for help, Mizuki forced herself up and carefully balanced herself on unsteady feet.

"Oh how delightful, you are able to stand. I'm impressed Mizuki" the demon began, "Come, now follow me before you pass out again. I wouldn't want to be burdened with the task of carrying you around." He turned his back to her as he held out his palm towards the bars of the prison. Instead of walking through them as he had done earlier, a forceful wind shot out from around him, demolishing the wooden bars.

Mizuki wasn't exactly sure where this demon was planning to take her, but she needed to find a way out. Her mind began to race with all sorts of ideas. However, no matter what she came up with, none of them would be effective if she didn't first rid herself of this demon. If she could just summon a little bit of what was left of her spiritual powers, she could purify him; or at least immobilize him to allow enough time for her to escape. Now was the best time. His back was turned to her as he was leaving the prison. She only had one shot to get this right and if she didn't, the consequences of her failure would surely be dire. She became nervous as her heart rate quickened and tiny droplets of sweat began to form on her forehead. She could feel her breathing become heavier as anticipation mounted for what she was about to attempt. One wrong move…

She began to focus her energy and a soft pink glow surrounded her left hand. She lifted her hand facing Tesoha's receding form when he suddenly stopped. Mizuki was caught off guard and quickly withdrew her hand.

"Try anything, and I will kill you." He spoke with a voice now laced with malice, not bothering to look over his shoulder at the baffled priestess. With that, he continued walking through the dark castle. Mizuki felt her heart drop within her chest. She had missed her chance, her only chance. And now that he knew what she was plotting, she was sure that he would never allow her another opportunity like that again.

Tesoha wordlessly led her out into the dark hallway and to a winding staircase that descended deep beneath the castle. Mizuki noticeably hesitated at the top of the staircase, unwilling to follow this demon to the depths of the castle. He noticed her hesitation and finally turned to face her.

"Well would you prefer to suffer and perish up there in the poisonous gases, priestess? The fumes will not reach you down here."

Mizuki groaned inwardly; clearly she had no other choice but to comply. She knew very well that she would quickly succumb to the toxicity of the gases if she remained in the upper chambers. But what did that matter if she was intended to be killed anyway? No, Mizuki thought, she would not die here. No matter what she had to do, she would find a way to survive…find a way out so that she could return home to her village. Taking one careful step, and then another, she began the descent into what seemed to her to be the inner depths of Hell.

…

His bare foot hardly touched the paved ground beneath him before it was quickly replaced by another. His ebony hair that was tied in a high ponytail whipped violently around him as he dashed through the shrine grounds. He held onto the young boy riding on his back tightly as he quickened his pace even more, very tempted to conjure up his famous whirlwind and take off into the city.

Kouga was more than happy to be outside of the confines of Kagome's stone hut where he could finally stretch his legs. He was also eager to explore this unknown world of hers. He'd been so excited to see more of Kagome's time since he had first arrived there. He had secretly hoped that Kagome would be the one to show him her world, but if this meant that he was finally able to get a bit of exercise, then he was content with that. He knew Kagome would understand. Within seconds they had left the shrine grounds and entered the city. Souta began to panic.

"Kouga, are you sure there's a demon around here?"

What demon? Kouga had gotten so caught up in his own thoughts, he had almost forgotten about his little white lie earlier. "Oh yeah, it knows I'm coming and it's on the move though. It's fast too so we gotta hurry if we wanna catch up" And with that Kouga quickened his pace. Forceful gusts of wind licked up at his feet as he began to draw on the power of the Shikon shards embedded in them. Kouga increased his pace as the two soon found themselves within the city.

Souta really began to panic now. He could make out the shocked and confused expressions on the faces of people Kouga skilfully dodged. After all, it wasn't every day that you'd see a wolf demon running around through your hometown at high speeds. The boy started to regret letting Kouga talk him into all this. He knew Kouga could very easily get himself into trouble in this time period. But on the other hand, he really wanted to see a real demon, so that easily outweighed any negative thoughts that formed in Souta's young mind. He'd just have to be careful not to let Kouga do anything drastic. Though Souta was now beginning to realize that may have been a lot more easily said than done.

Kouga glanced up at the enormous buildings in the city. He had never seen structures as immense as these before; they towered over him like the mountains back at home, almost challenging him. Well Kouga definitely wasn't one to take challenges lightly. He ducked low to the ground and propelled himself into the air and bounded up the face of one of the buildings. Kouga expertly leaped on the building's ledges until he neared its peak. All the while Souta screamed at the top of his lungs in fear from being hauled up so high off the ground and so quickly.

"KOUGA WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"

"Calm down kid, this thing is nothin' for me!" And with that Kouga made one final leap off of one of the building's ledges and landed at the very top of it. He paused and took a moment to scan the city and gaze off into the horizon. He couldn't believe his eyes; there had to be thousands of these large towers out there. They spanned out everywhere around him as far as he could see and he couldn't even spot any signs of vegetation from where he stood. It was by far the largest human village he had ever seen.

Kouga glanced back at the terrified Souta who held a white knuckled grip on his back. The poor kid looked like he had the life frightened out of him. He chuckled to himself. _'He's scared shitless' _

"Oi, you okay back there?" he spoke from over his shoulder.

Souta, who had just gotten over his initial shock slid off of the wolf demon's back and stood on wobbly legs. "Y-yeah I'm alright. Kouga do you realise how many people saw us just now?" He said with a voice laced with anxiety.

Kouga turned and simply shrugged "So what if they did?"

Souta sighed, "Kouga people just don't run around a hundred miles an hour in armour and furs in this time! Someone is bound to start following us and asking questions!"

Kouga laughed out at the absurd idea. "Kid, don't worry about it. No mortal could even _dream_ of keeping up with me, now c'mon you wanna catch that thing or not?"

"Well yeah, I do but – Ahhhh, hey!" Souta was cut short as Kouga enthusiastically scooped him up and took off once again, this time, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Souta groaned, he knew he shouldn't have let Kouga talk him into all this. He had a feeling this was going to be a very long day.

The little girl reached out towards the bright, colourful object she desired. She stretched out just a little more barely grasping it, but becoming even more frustrated as it rolled away. Straightening herself, she folded her arms and pouted. She had been playing on the balcony with her favorite rubber ball when she accidentally rolled it through the balcony's railings and onto the thin ledge that ran around the building's perimeter.

She looked around the small balcony for anything she might be able to use to reach her toy but to no avail. The little girl tried to reach it again through the railings but her tiny arms could do no such thing. Determined to retrieve her toy, she went back inside of her apartment to find something she could stand on to help her climb over the balcony. Deciding that a small step ladder would work, she brought it outside, being careful to avoid her older sister who was watching television in another room. The little girl set it up and then carefully began to climb over the balcony and onto the ledge of the building.

She pressed her back firmly against the concrete building and took little baby steps towards her ball, being sure to take her time. Inch by inch, it seemed as though hours had passed but she was really close to her ball now. Looking down, she suddenly became frightened as the reality of the situation finally hit her, and hard. She cringed at the sight of how high up she actually was and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Slowly reaching down to pick up her ball, her eyes remained focused on the ground, to where she could easily fall. Unfortunately, her shaky hand only pushed the ball a little ways away. The little girl groaned outwardly as she took just a few more careful steps closer towards her prize.

However, the little girl tripped and slid off of the ledge though she barely managed to hold on to the edge with her tiny hands. Horrified, she shrieked at the top of her lungs for help. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes as she screamed and yelled for her sister to come get her. Hearing her, her older sister dashed out onto the balcony and was frightened at the sight of her little sister dangling on the side of the apartment building.

"Sis, what do you think you're doing? Hang on, I'm gonna get help! Don't you let go!"

Within minutes, a large crowd gathered at the bottom of the building to watch the dreadful scene unfold. A chorus of whispers as well as prayers for the child's safety emerged from the spectators. The girl began sobbing uncontrollably as she felt her fingers begin to grow weak from having to support her body.

"Sis, help me! I can't hold on much longer!" she screamed.

"Don't worry, there's fire fighters on their way up to save you, just hold on! You're doing great just hold on!" her older sister shouted from her spot on the balcony.

The little girl's fingers began to slide off of the concrete and her cries rose to an even more desperate and feverish state. Tears were flowing controllably from her eyes now as she felt her fingers finally let go of the ledge and she began to fall. She knew that this was it, she was going to fall to her death and she would never see her mother, father or sister again. She snapped her eyes shut and braced for the feeling of the concrete against her body. The little girl did not hit the ground as she expected though. Instead, there was the feeling of movement, though she wasn't falling. She finally gained the courage to slowly open her eyes to see that she was being carried off by a strange man wearing furs and armour and a boy that rode on his back. The girl turned her head fully to get a better look at the two and then realised that this pair had just saved her. The man seemed to be flying, but how could that be possible? She thought he must've been some sort of superhero like the ones she'd seen on T.V or maybe even an angel. Whatever he was, he was utterly amazing.

The girl then looked over to the boy riding his back. He seemed to be about a year or two older than she was and quite cute, too. But it was his expression that she really admired. He didn't seem to be frightened in the least while he was with this man. He clearly trusted him and he knew that everything would be alright. So she noticeably relaxed, knowing that she would be alright now. After Kouga was sure that the girl was safely tucked in his arms, he began the descent from the building, leaping down from ledge to ledge.

The entire ordeal left her at a loss for words at first, but she was grateful when the man finally landed gracefully on the ground in front of the awestruck crowd. A chorus of boisterous cheers erupted from the spectators as the little girl landed safely with the two. He set her on the ground gently and Souta slid off of his back and went over to greet the girl.

"A-are you alright?" Souta stammered out. He had been completely shaken up from what had happened just now but he managed to keep his composure for her sake as well as that of his ego. He had been just as frightened as she was, but he had done his best to show her otherwise.

The girl just nodded before moving over to thank both Kouga and Souta for rescuing her. Kouga, who really didn't approve of being gawked and poked at by a bunch of humans, just mumbled something along the lines of "you're welcome, just stay outta trouble".

"I must know your names, I'm Azumi!" she piped up.

"Oh right, I uhm, I mean my name's Souta Higurashi and this is Kouga" Souta said shyly as he began to blush.

"Azumi, you idiot! What in the world were you thinking?" came a voice from behind the crowd. Within seconds the girl's older sister emerged from the mass of people and ran up to the trio. She hugged her sister tightly as fresh tears fell from her eyes. "You could've been _killed _don't you know that_?_! I should've been watching you more carefully…" she said as she buried her face in her younger sibling's clothing.

"I know, sis I'm really sorry! I was just trying to get my toy back but it was really stupid of me, I promise I'll never do it again!" Azumi then erupted into sobs.

Kouga was quickly beginning to get annoyed and he was losing his patience. It was not because of the two weeping human children but because of the overly curious humans that clearly wanted to examine his tail, ears and claws. Kouga bared his fangs as a warning sign to everyone that got too close to him, but none of them seemed to heed said warning. He decided that it was high time they got the hell out of here before he broke someone's jaw for poking at him. Walking over to Souta and the girls, Kouga scooped him up and tossed him over his shoulder. "Well kid, don't forget we got ourselves a demon to catch. No time for chit chat. We better get movin' "

"Oh yeah, that's right. See ya around Azumi" Souta waved a goodbye to the two girls. Kouga took off again into the air; effortlessly scaling the face of the building before he sped off to the rooftops of the others which evoked gasps and whispers from the crowd. Azumi and her sister waved goodbye as the pair took off into the sky. Azumi continued to gaze up at where the two had just taken off and she couldn't help smiling to herself.

"Souta Higurashi and his friend Kouga…thank you for saving me."

The two had travelled in relative silence for a few moments as Kouga continued his rooftop sprint. Souta had completely relaxed now and Kouga noticed that his tenseness had eased away. "You know Kouga. That was pretty cool of you." Souta began.

"Hm? Whaddya mean?"

"Well Kagome told me that back in your time, demons really hated humans. She said that most demons were ruthless towards them and wouldn't hesitate to kill one too. But you saved that little girl just now, Kouga"

Kouga just shrugged. "Yeah well, your sister has a way of bringin' the good out in most people"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind, don't worry about it kid."

For some reason, those words bothered Kouga a lot more than he had expected them to. He knew that what Souta was saying couldn't be truer. He knew this all too well because just a short while ago, _he_ was one of those demons who wouldn't have given a second thought to taking human life. Never in a hundred years did Kouga ever imagine that he'd now be protecting human life. Come to think of it though, he couldn't imagine any other way to be. It had become a part of him. Kouga now cherished human life, and he'd be damned if there was a human in danger while he was around.

And it was all because of Kagome.

Souta looked out onto the horizon and suddenly, something went off in his brain. "Oh crap Kouga it's almost sun set! It's getting late and Kagome should be finishing up with her friends soon. If she finds that we went out, oh man, I'm gonna be dead meat!"

He smirked. That was the only thing he had been waiting to hear all day. Finally, he would be able to be with his woman after being away from her for so long.

"We'll just havta forget the demon today Kouga. How fast do you think you can get us home?"

Kouga's smirk grew even wider. Being the egotistical demon that he was, Kouga definitely wouldn't hesitate at running at his most impressive speeds. He'd show Souta what he could really do. "You aint seen nothin yet, kid. Watch this, hold on tight!" And with that, Kouga finally whipped up his trademark tornado which utterly amazed Souta. Within the blink of an eye, the two were gone, heading back in the direction of the Higurashi shrine grounds.

**A really short chapter, I know but there's more to come soon. Thanks for reading, remember to leave a review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**.Chapter Seven**

**Hello again, everyone. I'm finally back with another chapter (though much later than I expected .;) College has really been eating up my spare time. So I really tried to make this one longer for you guys seeing as how the previous chapter was kind of short. So here you have it.**

**Enjoy! **

…

Kagome went about her living room, gathering the remainder of the papers that were left lying about. She was glad that she had finally gotten her project out of the way. She hoped that she would at least pass the class with a decent score. But now that the Well was re-opened, she knew that she would have to dedicate most of her time to jewel hunting with her friends again. Kagome's mind drifted at that thought. Ever since Kouga showed up at her home, she had wanted nothing more than to just jump back through the well and see Inuyasha and her friends again, especially Inuyasha. She thought back to the last time she had talked to him; they didn't exactly leave on very good terms. They had had just another stupid argument and it was really silly too, now that she thought about it. But now that the well was open, she'd finally be able to go back and return to her normal life with her friends. She thought it funny that she would consider jewel hunting and fighting demons were considered aspects of a normal life. With her mind made up, Kagome decided that she and Kouga would leave for the feudal era in an hour.

And speaking of the cocky wolf demon, she briefly pondered what he and Souta had been up to all day. She hadn't heard a peep from the pair since they tried to spy on her and her friends earlier. She knew Kouga must've been upset having been isolated with her brother for so long and she sure wouldn't blame him. She could only stand her little brother for so long too.

Kagome figured the boys would be really hungry too. Her mother had called and explained that she would be working late tonight, which meant that they would virtually be on their own for dinner tonight. She had thawed out two steaks for Kouga and a hamburger for Souta earlier. She was supposed to have prepared lunch for the boys, but she had gotten so carried away with her schoolwork that she had totally forgotten. Oh well, they would just serve as dinner for them instead.

Kagome quickly prepared Souta's sandwich along with some French fries but wasn't quite sure what she should do with Kouga's steaks. She knew that being a wolf demon he would naturally eat his meat raw. That's what wolves usually did but something within Kagome's human mind just didn't allow her to serve anyone absolutely raw meat. Kagome decided that she could find a suitable balance by cooking the meat rare instead. After she was satisfied with what she prepared, she headed upstairs towards Souta's room.

...

Kouga could recognize Kagome's footsteps a mile away and his tail began to thump against the ground in anticipation, similar to a way a dog's tail would. Souta was reclining on his bed while watching cartoons. Just a few minutes earlier, the pair managed to make a sneaky entrance through Souta's bedroom window, successfully dodging Kagome and her friends as they were leaving her house. Souta couldn't be any happier now that they were finally back at home.

Soon, Kagome emerged through the door holding a tray with two plates. "Anybody hungry?" she said in her usual cheery tone.

Souta instantly jumped up and darted over to his sister to enthusiastically inspect the food she brought. "Yeah! I'm starved!"

However within a few short moments, Kouga managed to take the tray from Kagome, gave it to Souta and instead took her hands firmly within his own as he usually did. He gazed intently into her eyes and leaned in close to her, an air of seriousness about him. "Kagome…I've missed you so much today. You have no idea how much it pains me to be separated from you for so long." He breathed huskily as he leaned in closer.

Kagome was completely caught off guard by his gesture and her face flushed to a bright red color as he leaned in closer. She finally found words to speak with and she immediately broke free from his grasp and busied herself with serving Souta his meal instead.

"Uhm...here you go Souta, this one's for you." Kagome said as she handed him the plate with the sandwich.

Souta decided to completely ignore the odd moment between Kouga and his sister. His young mind was much too occupied by the food in front of him to give it any further thought. "Alright! Thanks Kagome!" he cheered happily.

"Kouga, I made this for you." She handed him the plate and smiled sweetly, secretly trying to shrug off the lingering embarrassment of what had just transpired a moment ago. Kagome still couldn't bring herself to quite understand why Kouga's gestures seemed to have more of an effect on her than usual. He had always done these sorts of things before in the past. So why did it cause her to fluster so much now?

Kouga accepted the plate with gratitude and a satisfied smirk. "Kagome, I really appreciate you doin' this for me. You didn't have to."

"Nonsense, I'm sure you two must've been hungry hanging around here all day. It's my pleasure, really." She said with another sweet smile.

"Yeah, you bet!" Souta agreed. "Especially after everything me and Kouga did today, he's so awesome Kagome!"

Kagome couldn't help but become curious at that. "Yeah, what _did_ you two do all day anyways? You know, I should be pretty angry at you guys for trying to sneak up on me earlier." Kagome shot the pair a knowing look.

Souta, whose mouth was now filled with French fries, gleamed at the chance to tell Kagome all about his amazing day with the wolf chief. Unfortunately for him though, his words came out as nothing more than muffled grunts which caused Kagome to giggle. Kouga decided that it was probably best that Kagome didn't know about his little modern day excursion. "Yeah well he just showed me some of his stuff like that magic picture box over there" he said pointed over to the television.

Kagome offered a content smile. She knew all too well how annoying her little brother could be at times, but she was glad that Kouga seemed to be able to get along with him well enough. "Come on Kouga, I'm done with what I needed to do. Would you like to eat your meal in my room?" she offered.

He offered her a smirk. "Of course Kagome, I'd love to." The two then exited Souta's room with Kagome leading the way. As Kouga left, he tossed Souta one last look before offering him a farewell salute, which the boy eagerly returned.

…

There was no way that Kagome could've prepared herself for the way that Kouga wolfed down the meal she prepared for him. Sure, she had seen Inuyasha take down ramen pretty easily but steak meat was in a whole other category. Kouga gobbled down the two thick pieces of meat almost effortlessly and Kagome wondered how he could've possibly swallowed such huge chunks at a time without choking. He finished his brutish display by licking his claws clean of whatever juices remained from the steak.

"Kagome that meat was delicious! I've never tasted cooked meat like that before" he said with a satisfied grin. Then he caught Kagome staring at him and realized how barbaric he must've looked to the young priestess. Kouga suddenly felt slightly embarrassed of his actions.

"Sorry Kagome, I didn't mean to…"

Kagome smiled sweetly. "No need to apologize Kouga" she began as she reached for a napkin and began to wipe away excess food from his mouth. "It's alright"

Kouga couldn't help but return her contagious smile. He found the girl to be simply alluring in so many ways than she possibly could've ever understood. The way she moved, smelled, the way she spoke to him with such kindness, and even the way she showed concern for him. He knew he was foolish to think that she treated him any different than she would treat anyone else though. Kagome was simply a kind soul, one always reaching out to others; it was in her nature. A great part of him yearned for her to devote her compassion towards him completely, though.

"So, now that I'm done with everything here, are you ready to head back to the Feudal era Kouga?" Kagome asked, disrupting his thoughts.

The answer was no. He wasn't ready. Kouga knew that once they returned to the past, Kagome would be reunited with mutt face and her friends. Ultimately, things would return to the way they always had been between them. They would return to being nothing more than mere friends who ran into each other every now and again. Of course he'd flirt with her and get a rise out of Inuyasha, which would most likely lead to a petty argument between him and the half breed. Then she and her friends would continue on their journey, and he, his. Kouga didn't want that, he wanted so much more from his encounters with Kagome, he wanted something special. As selfish and greedy as it was, he wanted to have Kagome all to himself for once. Kouga didn't think that his passing through the well was just pure coincidence. He knew that he was allowed through for a reason. He honestly believed that he was destined for Kagome, and that's why he was allowed into her world.

This whole situation with the well had provided a chance for him to be alone with her for once. He was finally given the chance to express how he truly felt to her. But that chance was ruined because she became busy with her own duties and now that she was done, she wanted to run back to her dog. Kagome had no desire whatsoever to be alone with him, and why should she? Kouga knew deep down that Kagome desired Inuyasha as a lover and him only as a companion. But something within Kouga didn't allow him to accept that harsh reality. He was still determined to try…

But gazing into her eyes and seeing the anticipation building up within them, Kouga couldn't help but relent to her. "Sure Kagome, let's get going before it gets late."

Kagome had most of her things prepared in about half an hour. She missed the feeling of hurrying about her home and packing various supplies for her friends into her yellow backpack. She was excited to finally be able to get back into the Feudal era and see them again.

Kouga sat on the couch and looked on in interest as Kagome now darted around the kitchen, picking up various food stuffs and tossing them into her bag. Deciding that she had packed enough things, she hefted the bag onto her back and gave Kouga a sweet smile.

"Let's go."

Kouga nodded and got up from his spot on the couch. A loud call to inform Souta that she was leaving and Kagome was headed to the front door. Kagome passed the television she had turned on to keep Kouga occupied as she was getting ready and something peculiar caught her eye.

"A young man who carried a young boy on his back miraculously rescued a small child from certain death today" the voice on the television began.

Kouga noticed Kagome's attention had been drawn away so he had a look at the picture box and saw himself and Souta from earlier that day. Now he was definitely convinced that the television operated with some sort of magic. There was just no way it could've known what he and the kid did earlier. It was obviously trying to spite him now.

Kagome stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a camera zooming in on what seemed to be Kouga carrying her brother on his back and sailing from a building with a small child in his arms. She got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as the figure landed, revealing Kouga and Souta's faces to the camera.

"It was simply unbelievable! According to eye witnesses at the scene, this man seemed to appear out of nowhere and saved this little girl's life!"

Kagome was utterly mortified that her little brother and Kouga had not only left the house, but had been seen by _that_ many people…and ultimately ended up on the evening news! She almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Kouga…is that you?" she asked dumbly. Who else could it be?

Kouga just scratched the back of his head nervously. He was sort of hoping she wouldn't find out, but it seemed as though the magic picture box had its own plans for him. "Yeah well…me and Souta _may _have stepped out for a bit earlier" Kouga spoke slowly. He could sense her growing rage and did not intend to do anything which could upset her even more.

"Kouga! I told you not to leave Souta's room and now you're all over the evening news? Oh, what am I going to do now? Do you have any idea what this means? I hope somebody doesn't recognize Souta somewhere and start asking questions…" Kagome groaned and rubbed her forehead in frustration.

He rested his clawed hands on her shoulders and squeezed her gently as a way of soothing her. "Relax Kagome. Your brother and I just went out for a bit of fresh air and exercise for a few minutes. A human child got herself into some trouble so I helped her out is all" he spoke from behind her as he watched her shoulders begin to ease under his touch.

She had no idea a man's hands could feel so heavenly on her shoulders. Kagome couldn't help but melt from Kouga's touch; it felt absolutely exquisite and she found herself biting her lower lip to stifle out a moan that was threatening to surface. Kouga worked his way from her shoulders towards her neck where his touch became even more tender and slow, yet unyielding. He finished his brief lavishing of her body by running his hands one final time over her shoulders and down the length of her arms.

Kagome silently mourned the loss of his touch and also felt slightly guilty for doing so. Regaining her composure, she cleared her throat and shifted her weight slightly. She gave a heavy sigh and a hand flew to the spot where Kouga's had been just moments before. Kagome's anger and frustration had been melted away, just like that. "Well was the little girl alright at least?" she asked almost breathlessly.

A wolfish grin from Kouga answered that question. "Not a hair was harmed on that kid's head while she was with _me_ of course." He folded his arms triumphantly and grinned down at Kagome, though he was amused more so by the way she had responded to his touch. He loved that he could evoke such a reaction from her.

"Right then, let's get going." Kagome couldn't believe that she had just let Kouga off the hook _that _easily. How he had managed to dampen her anger with that brief massage, she would never know, and she wouldn't bother to ask either.

The pair approached the shrine where the Bone Eater's well was housed. Kagome slid open the doors and slowly advanced toward the well itself, her heart racing a hundred miles a minute. She had been fearful that the Well may not work again and that both she and Kouga would be trapped in her time. Kouga looked over to Kagome whom he could tell was becoming increasingly nervous.

"Ready, Kagome?" he asked softly.

She nodded. Without warning, Kouga swooped her up in his arms and leaped into the darkness below. Ethereal blue lights surrounded the two and Kagome experienced the familiar feeling of floating as she travelled through the ages. Within moments the two landed on cool, damp earth and it was in that instant that Kagome knew that she was back. She looked excitedly over at Kouga and she suddenly felt giddy with relief. She threw her arms around his neck as she broke out into fits of laughter.

"Kouga, I can't believe it! We're really back!"

Kouga was eager to return Kagome's embrace though he didn't quite share her enthusiasm. He was dreading every passing moment, which would lead to his and Kagome's departure. He didn't want to think about that right now though. Taking her heavy backpack from her, he gave her one of his handsome smirks instead. "Let me take this for you." He adjusted the straps onto his back. "Let's get you outta this well and back to your village Kagome." And with that Kouga leaped out of the ancient well with the girl that he loved in his arms.

The sun had almost fully retreated beyond the horizon and the sky was tinted with a swirl of violets and reddish hues. Deep blues also meshed into the artistic display as the night began to take its hold on Feudal Japan. The air was slightly humid. The surrounding vegetation glistened and shimmered with the remnants of rain showers earlier that afternoon though, the blessing of rain had bestowed lustre and beauty upon them. The low humming of insects fluttering about was among the only sounds that could be heard in the surrounding area; all else was still and silent.

Kagome breathed in deeply and exhaled the sweet, evening air, a look of pure contentedness upon her face as Kouga gingerly set her down onto the damp grass.

"Ah! It's so great to be back! I still can't believe it Kouga, we made it though!" She exclaimed with arms outstretched towards the heavens.

The wolf prince couldn't help but find Kagome's excitement to be contagious and pretty soon he found himself mirroring her own grin with a fanged one of his own. Smiling, that was something he'd seemed to be doing a lot around Kagome.

"Good to have you back Kagome. At least with you here, I can keep an eye on you to make sure dog breath doesn't put you in any serious danger" he joked with a huff.

Kagome just casually shrugged off his remark. "Well I'm sure he and the others are waiting for me back at Kaede's village. I better get going before it gets dark. It's just a short distance away. Would you like to walk there with me?"

Kouga saw this as a chance to finally speak with Kagome privately about how he felt. He knew that he wouldn't have a lot of time to do that, but he wanted to at least start somewhere. "Of course. I wouldn't let you walk through a dark forest by yourself, Kagome. I promise, I'll stay with you until you're safe with your friends again" Without warning, Kouga took her small hand within his own which caused a small gasp to escape the girl's lips.

She hadn't expected him to do that. Kagome was so used to Kouga just sweeping her up and carrying her away that walking side by side, hand in hand with him seemed quite unusual. As foreign as this was, Kagome found that she certainly enjoyed the experience.

The two soon entered the forest and walked along a beaten path that Kagome had recognized would lead them into the village. They had been walking in relative silence, the sounds of nature and their footsteps being the only noises around them.

"Kagome, why do you travel with dog breath?" Kouga spoke with eyes trained on the path ahead of them. He inwardly flinched though, he hadn't meant for his question to come off as serious as it did.

She was a caught off guard by that question but Kagome decided to answer it nonetheless. "Well Kouga I'm the whole reason the sacred jewel shattered to begin with" She looked up towards him. "I travel with Inuyasha to help find the shards so we can repair it. And of course to defeat Naraku…" Kagome wasn't sure where Kouga was going with this. She was positive that he knew all of this already.

"Yeah I get that. But what I mean is, almost every time I come and visit you Kagome, the dog has you in some kind of danger" He spoke still not looking at the girl beside him.

"Well we're always fighting demons, there's no way around that. And besides, I'm not completely defenceless ya know. I can hold out on my own, and then there's also Sango and Miroku to help out, too. If anything - "

"_He_ should protect you better Kagome."

"Kouga, I…" Kagome wasn't sure what to say next. She stared at the wolf demon who still kept his eyes focused ahead.

He could feel his own blood beginning to boil within his veins at just the thought of how many times he had seen Inuyasha endanger his woman's life. Yet she insisted on remaining loyal to the dog and he couldn't figure out why. Inuyasha always went around swinging that giant sword of his without a second thought whenever they confronted a new enemy. If it were up to Kouga, he'd be absolutely sure that Kagome was safe and out of harm's way _first_. Kouga would be absolutely devastated if something were to ever happen to his Kagome.

"Kagome, all I'm sayin' is that the mutt does a pretty lousy job at keeping you safe. If something were to happen to you out there…" Kouga's eyes averted to the forest floor. He didn't even want to finish that thought.

'_I've never seen him like this before. He seems so sincere. But where is all of this coming from all of a sudden?'_ Kagome mentally noted. He felt a warm touch on his upper arm and looked over at Kagome who now gave him a soft, almost apologetic smile.

"Kouga..." she began "I really appreciate your concern for me but I think Inuyasha does a really great job at protecting me when I need him. You really don't need to worry about me okay?" To him, she didn't really sound that convincing. And who was she trying to convince anyways, him or herself? It was as though she had just given him some sort of generic answer, as if to only put his fears at rest.

He shouldn't have been surprised; he knew she would probably say something like that. Her affections for the mutt were undeniable so Kouga should've expected that she would defend the turd's honour during his absence. The scent of burning wood and cooking meat wafted into his sensitive nose and it was then that Kouga realized that they had arrived at the human village.

"There it is Kouga, come on" she said pointing a short distance away. Kagome held onto Kouga's hand again as the two proceeded into the village.

Kouga instinctively wrapped a possessive arm around Kagome's waist. He drew her to him as they walked through the village and bared his fangs as the two received stares and whispers from several villagers who had been preparing for the oncoming evening. The wolf detested being stared at and kept Kagome close and growled as a warning to anyone that might try to approach the two. However, he also fancied the idea of Inuyasha's first glimpse of Kagome after several months of absence to be with her tucked under _him_, so he pulled her even tighter towards him.

Kagome just laughed a bit nervously at the gesture. She mused that Kouga must've been uncomfortable around so many humans so she allowed his odd behaviour just this once. She didn't ever think that she would understand canine behaviour.

The two came upon a modest sized hut near the centre of the village that Kagome instantly recognized to be Kaede's. Kagome called out to the old woman, who she hoped would be residing inside.

"Kaede, are you home?" she called out.

"Kagome, is it ye child?" they heard a muffled voice from the inside.

Moments later, the elderly woman emerged from her home and her narrowed eye widened at the sight of Kagome and Kouga. Kagome's face lit with a radiant smile as she ran to greet Kaede.

"Kagome, tis unbelievable! Ye managed to pass through the Bone Eater's Well again?" she inquired as she embraced Kagome.

Kagome returned her hug, absolutely thrilled to see her mentor again after all this time. "Well actually I wasn't the one who passed through the Well first…" Kagome shifted her gaze to the handsome wolf demon behind her who stood strongly with his arms folded across his chest.

Surprise masked Kaede's face as her gaze also drifted to the wolf demon and she made the connection almost instantly. "The wolf has broken the Well's seal? Are ye positive, child?" Kaede had expected that Kagome would trigger a reaction from the Well herself and find her own way through one way or another, simply because of her spiritual powers and her connection with this world. Surely a demon could not have done such a thing.

"A seal? What are you talking about Kaede, do you know what happened to the Well in the first place?"

Her aged face contorted as she went deep into thought, trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation. "Well, several months ago the most peculiar thing happened to the Bone Eater's well which I am sure that ye are quite aware of. It would not allow Inuyasha to pass through under any circumstances whatsoever. Methinks that a spell had been cast upon the Well but if there were any traces of sorcery, it was surely very skilfully disguised."

"At first I thought that Inuyasha sealed off the Well himself because he was mad at me like last time but after he didn't show up for several weeks, I knew something was really wrong" Kagome mused.

"Aye child, it is strange indeed. Whoever sealed the Bone Eater's Well is obviously aware of the power which it possesses." Kaede pondered. "Whoever must have done this was intent on preventing you from passing back into this era."

"You mean _Naraku_ must have had something to do with this." Kouga spoke, confirming what Kaede had been thinking.

Kagome's heart dropped at the mere mention of the wretched hanyou's name. Ever since Kagome had been able to travel into the warring era, she and her friends had not even dared to breathe a word of her true origin to anyone else outside their little group. Kouga had found out for himself, and now Naraku knew too? Dread seeped through her as she contemplated the mere idea that their arch enemy now knew of her secret. Her mind reeled as she thought about what this could actually mean for her, as well as her family.

"But if he was intent on keeping me trapped in my own time, then why didn't he just destroy the Well while I was gone? It's doesn't make any sense." Kagome pondered aloud.

"Kagome, the Bone Eater's Well is still quite a mystery to us all. Perhaps for some reason or another, Naraku is incapable of destroying it…" Kaede ventured.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of that theory, but Kagome now held a renewed determination to rid the world of the wretch. Though, she still couldn't help but feel mortified that Naraku now knew that she was from 500 years in the future and he had already tried to seal her there too. His plan would've worked too, had it not been for Kouga. She would have to be on high alert from now on when travelling back and forth between the ages.

"And you say that this wolf passed through the Well?" Kaede asked, still in relative disbelief. "But how can that be possible?"

"I'm not too sure, Kouga here just happened to show up on my doorstep out of nowhere" Kagome didn't want to go into detail about Kouga rescuing her from being raped by a stranger.

Kouga came forward and wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist again. "Yeah, what matters is Kagome is here now."

"Kaede, do you know where Inuyasha and the others are? Did they come back and stay in the village since I left?" She was surprised Inuyasha hadn't smelled them out and come over already. She was sure that if he smelled Kouga anywhere near the village, he'd be there in an instant.

"Aye, they have. They departed but only three days ago in search of the jewel shards again."

"They…left?"

A curt nod from the elderly woman confirmed what she had said.

That statement truly hurt Kagome in ways that she didn't think were possible. They had left to search for the jewel shard…without her? But how? She was one of the most crucial assets to the group; they needed her to sense out the fragments. Without her, then how would they know where to look next? Unless they did have a jewel detector with them after all, but then that could only mean…

Kikyo.

She forced that dreadful thought out of her head immediately. There was no way that Inuyasha and her friends would ever replace her with Kikyo, would they? No, Kagome didn't think that her friends would ever allow that to happen. But on the other hand, she had been gone for so long, maybe they lost faith that she would ever return to the Feudal era. Heck, she had even started to believe that she would never return either. Kagome only hoped that wasn't the case. Her head began to cloud and her stomach whirled at the thought of Kikyo travelling alongside her friends…taking her place, walking in her shoes.

Kagome tried to rationalize this out. Maybe they had heard some new piece of information and decided to investigate the matter? They may have had new leads on Naraku's whereabouts. Kaede hadn't actually mentioned anything about her dead sister since they arrived, so she figured that she need not jump to conclusions just yet. It was then that Kagome felt the reassuring squeeze in her side that brought her out of her thoughts. She looked over to see Kouga smiling softly down at her, his ocean blue eyes piercing into her own with their warmth and sincerity. The wolf demon had sensed her unease and desired to comfort her.

"Don't worry Kagome, why don't I take you to meet your friends? I'll track them down for you"

"You'd do that for me, Kouga?"

He gave his trademark wolfish smile, "Anything for you my love. As much as I hate leaving you with dog breath, I know you probably miss your friends very much." Kouga moved to caress her arms as he spoke lowly to her. "And besides, I did tell you I'd take you back to your friends didn't I? I intend to keep that promise. Any idea which direction they headed in, lady?"

Kaede couldn't roll her eye any harder at Kouga's blatant display of gallantry. "Unfortunately, I am not certain, wolf. At the time of their departure, I was busy tending to my herb garden; I did not see them off."

"I'll just havta sniff em' out then." He looked over to the girl next to him. "It'll be hard to pick up a scent that's a few days old, especially since it rained earlier this afternoon."

Kagome just shook her head. "I really don't mind. If they only left a few days ago then they couldn't have gotten that far right?" _'And with Kouga's added speed from the Shikon jewels, we should find them in no time' _Kagome mentally added.

"Ye intend to leave tonight?" Kaede said as she peered up at the now dark sky. "Surely there are demons prowling the wood at such an hour. Don't be foolish, stay for tonight and leave at sunrise."

Kouga, who didn't particularly care to sleep in a village full of humans who clearly didn't trust him, opted to head out anyways. "Kagome is always safe with me old lady. I can take on any demon that dares to pick a fight with me."

The old woman rolled her eye again. She had no idea which was more brazen or perhaps more idiotic, the wolf or the dog. "Well if ye insist, just be careful" she warned.

"Alright then, it's settled." Kouga said as he readjusted Kagome's massive backpack on his shoulders and scooped her up into his arms, bridal style of course.

Kagome waved goodbye as she settled comfortably in Kouga's arms "Don't worry, we'll be fine Kaede. If you see the others, would you tell them that I came back?" She received a silent nod from Kaede in response and with that, the two were off in a whirlwind. By the time Kaede lowered her arm which shielded her from the airborne debris, the two were gone.

Kagome fought to keep her hair out of her eyes as the wind tossed and tussled it out of her control. She squinted as the crisp, chilly evening breeze zoomed passed her face, giving her the sensation of a thousand tiny knives scraping at her cheeks. Her eyes began to water from the fierce winds rushing against her face. She looked all around her. The foliage, the hills, everything just seemed to be lost in a blur as they sped onward. She couldn't help but wonder how fast Kouga was going right now.

Kagome looked up at his handsome young face as he skilfully avoided any trees or stray logs in his path. Kouga had been keeping this pace for a little over an hour now and Kagome couldn't help but be just a little impressed by his endurance, even if he did have help from his sacred jewel shards. The pair had travelled mostly in silence. Kagome would occasionally comment on something, which would only be muffled out by the passing wind, making any sort of conversation difficult.

His nose couldn't detect any scent whatsoever of dog breath and her friends, though Kouga was rather pleased that he hadn't. He was glad that he was able to spend more time with Kagome, rather than having to deliver her back to the puppy right away. That dog didn't deserve her anyways, he thought to himself. Kouga's ears picked up the light gurgling of a nearby river. He figured it would be an opportune moment to take a quick break, not that he needed it, but to give the girl he'd been carrying for awhile a chance to stretch her legs.

He veered off to the left in the direction where he knew the river would be and they arrived within minutes. Kouga set Kagome down on her feet before he walked over to the water to drench his own face with the cool liquid.

"We're stopping?" Kagome questioned.

Kouga turned to face her. "Yeah. I figured you'd want a break from havin' me carry you around all the time" he finished with a small chuckle.

Kagome smiled. "Well it does feel good to walk around for a bit" she finished with a stretch and a satisfied sigh. She could've sworn one of her legs was beginning to fall asleep. "So no sign of em yet, huh?" she quietly asked.

Focusing his gaze back to the stream Kouga nodded which confirmed Kagome's suspicions. "The rain's washed away all traces of their scents which I suspect weren't all that strong in the first place seeing as how they left a few days ago."

The priestess studied his expression thoroughly and he seemed to be truthful. She knew Kouga didn't like Inuyasha at all, but she didn't think that he would ever lie to her about this. For some reason, she trusted Kouga enough to take his word for it. Kagome knew that they would find her friends and very soon too, she hoped. They would just have to keep looking.

"Well then, how about some dinner, Kouga? Are you hungry?" she offered. Without waiting for a response Kagome began to empty a few things from her backpack which still sat comfortably on Kouga's shoulders.

The wolf slid the bag off his back so Kagome could get what she needed. "Yeah, I'll go catch us some fresh meat. I think I passed a foal back there a few minutes ago" he said standing up and brushing off his fur wrap.

"You don't have to go through the trouble Kouga. I've got some food right here in my bag. Now where is it…" she drifted off as she busied herself with rummaging through her backpack. With a triumphant "There it is!" Kagome revealed a plastic container with bright colors on it.

"What's that?" Kouga's face contorted with curiosity.

It didn't take Kagome very long to prepare two packages of ramen noodles which now boiled in the small pot before them. Kouga looked on in interest at the strange method Kagome used to prepare the even stranger meal. He watched her use a pair of chopsticks to empty the odd food into a small bowl, which she handed to him and repeated the same for herself.

"Kagome are you _sure_ this stuff is food?" Kouga asked while cautiously eyeing the brew.

"Of course! It's called ramen noodles. My friends and I eat it all the time! C'mon try it Kouga I'm sure you'll love it" she explained as she began to eat.

The wolf prince wasn't too sure about this though. It smelled nice, but it definitely looked like nothing he had ever eaten before. He looked over at Kagome who seemed to be enjoying her food and even gave him an encouraging smile. "Well it sure aint meat…" he murmured while eyeing it skeptically. Kouga would've definitely preferred meat.

"Oh Kouga don't be such a baby, just try it!" she said while playfully nudging him with her elbow.

"Yeah, yeah, fine whatever woman."

Well it couldn't be that bad right? His woman prepared a meal for him and he wasn't about to let it go to waste. Still not being too familiar with chopsticks, Kouga reached his hand into the strange brew instead and shovelled a fist full of the noodles into his mouth which he instantly regretted.

"AARGH! DAMN IT!" Kouga roared as his mouth throbbed in pain from the scalding heat.

Kagome broke out into wild fits of laughter as Kouga raced towards the stream and dunked his head inside. He emerged moments later with his bangs drooping down over his eyes as he turned towards Kagome, who couldn't contain her laughter. He swept his hair away from his face to reveal a very angry wolf price who clearly wasn't too happy about the situation. Kagome figured he was trying to silently threaten her with that look but she couldn't help it if he made her laugh even harder.

"Damn it Kagome, that's not funny!"

Kagome's sides felt like they would burst from seeing Kouga in such a state; he was even pouting too! Kouga narrowed his eyes and concocted the perfect way to get back at the girl. Kagome's laughter began to subside when she saw the wolf approaching her. He came up to her and snatched the bowl away from her first.

"Uhh, Kouga, what are you doing?"

"Getting even"

"Wait, whaa..?"

Kouga picked her up and without warning he hurled Kagome into the cold stream and she shrieked as she made contact with the cold water. Now it was his turn to laugh and indeed he did.

"Kouga! Why…you low down..." Kagome sputtered as she spat the excess water from her mouth.

"How's the water Kagome? Do ya like it?" Kouga gloated as he laughed triumphantly from the river bank.

"Well why don't you come in and find out!" And before Kouga could figure out what was going on, Kagome swam over and yanked him hard by the wrist, which sent him tumbling into the frigid water right next to her.

Kagome wasted no time and began to assault Kouga with wave after wave of splashes. Kouga retaliated in a chorus of laughter and splashes, as did Kagome. Kagome never even dreamed that she could ever have this much fun with Kouga. He seemed so playful and carefree; yet another side of him that she'd never seen before. Usually whenever she saw Kouga, he was squabbling with Inuyasha, in battle or just flirting around with her to upset Inuyasha. But she enjoyed this Kouga much more. That is until she heard him growl.

"Kouga…? Is something wrong?"

He didn't answer. She saw him narrow his eyes at her as he sunk dangerously low into the water. He then approached her silently, like a wolf closing in on its prey. Kagome began to feel nervous, almost helpless, that is, until she felt a flurry of fingers tickling at her sides. Laughter instantly erupted from the girl as Kouga relentlessly tickled her sides and stomach. Thankfully, the water dulled the sensation a bit but that still didn't stop the wolf demon.

After a few more minutes of wild laughter and protests, Kouga apprehended Kagome and took her ashore. The two began to dry themselves as their laughter finally began to subside.

"Kouga, you really don't play fair, you know that? I'm soaking wet!" Kagome said breathlessly as she reached into her bag for a drying towel.

He smirked as he undid his chest plate and furs. "Yeah well demons don't play fair Kagome. And besides, you were the one who gave me that hot stuff and then _laughed _at me to begin with, remember?"

Kagome giggled at the memory; well it was pretty funny at the time, she had to admit. "Oh come on Kouga, you didn't have to stuff it in your mouth in the first place" she finished with a chuckle.

Kouga snorted but then lifted his head skyward and sniffed gently. Kagome looked over in curiosity. "Something the matter?"

"Rain"

Kouga quickly slid his soaked armour and furs back on and extinguished the small fire they had going. "Come on we have to find some shelter Kagome, it'll be pouring pretty soon."

She could detect urgency in his voice, so got the idea and began to put away her things, which were scattered around the area. She wrapped her drying towel around her tightly as Kouga picked her up and sped off in search of any form of shelter.

As Kouga had predicted, a few drops of rain fell from the sky which were soon followed by sheets and sheets of it. The rain tumbled upon them relentlessly and Kagome couldn't help but shiver from the cold water that had not yet dried from her clothing from their little escapade in the river. His blue eyes settled on her very briefly and then quickly re-focused on scanning the landscape for any form of shelter for the night. Kouga silently cursed himself for getting Kagome into this mess in the first place. He shouldn't have thrown her into that river to begin with. If he had been paying any attention at all, he would have smelt the hints of the oncoming rain in the air earlier and would not have done such a foolish thing. Kagome was only human, and if she had gotten sick in this miserable weather, it would be his fault alone.

The roar of thunder sounded off in the distance and as if on cue, the rain began to fall even harder. Kouga became much more frantic in his search now. He was unfamiliar with this territory and he had no idea if he would even be able to find shelter out here. Just then, Kouga came across a small cavern at the base of a large grassy hill. Its entrance was nearly completely hidden from sight by a mess of long, tangled vines, which he easily cleared as they entered.

The dwelling was rather small, though reasonably sized for the two of them. There was very little walking space allowed, but Kouga was thankful that it was still deep enough so that they wouldn't get wet from the rain outside. He imagined that they would be stranded here for tonight because of the heavy rains which didn't seem like it would end soon.

"Boy, this is some really nice weather we're having huh?" Kagome commented with a hint of sarcasm, though trying to lighten the mood again. She wrung out her now soaked towel and draped it over a boulder at the back of the small cave.

"Yeah, looks like we'll be stuck here for tonight" Kouga pointed out as he began to undo his armour and furs, but not before tossing Kagome's drenched backpack on the ground before her.

"First thing's first. We have to get you out of those wet clothes."

"Change?" In front of Kouga? Not in a million years. Kagome definitely couldn't go through with that in front of the wolf prince. She would absolutely die of embarrassment. "I'll be fine."

Kouga frowned. "No, you'll get sick if you stay in those clothes Kagome. I'm the one that tossed you into that river and got you soaked in the first place. I'm not lettin' you get sick because of it." He finished sternly.

One look at the soaked bag and Kagome gave a disheartened sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right. However because of the rain, all her belongings inside were no doubt soaked to the core as well. She doubted that she'd find anything dry to wear. Sifting through her things, she found that she had guessed right. Most of her clothing and her other belongings had already gotten wet from the downpour outside. Kagome bit her lip and looked over at Kouga, who had already removed all his furs, save for the one around his waist.

"I can't change into anything in here. Everything's gotten wet already" she said as a blush crept upon her cheeks from Kouga's half nakedness.

"You need to get out of those clothes Kagome…" Kouga began slowly, hoping she'd understand exactly what he was meaning.

Kagome blushed furiously now as her face lit up like a Christmas light. "No way, I'm _not_ getting naked in front of you Kouga so you can forget it! What kinda girl do you think I am anyways?"

Kouga rolled his eyes. _'Women.' _"Come on Kagome, I just don't want you to get sick. Okay, how about this, you just do whatever you need to and I won't look."

Kagome gave it very brief thought and dug through her backpack again, still hoping to find something dry this time. Luckily, she spotted a pair of cotton shorts that she would sometimes wear to bed that thankfully were only a little damp from the rain. Kagome was relieved that at least something in her bag was still wearable. She wouldn't have to worry about Kouga seeing her in nothing but a bra and panties…maybe just a bra though. She couldn't find a shirt.

'_This definitely isn't how I planned to spend my first night back in the Feudal Era.' _Kagome thought grudgingly. One look back in Kouga's direction and she was relieved to see that his back was turned to her, like he said. Reluctantly, she began to remove her clothing and easily slipped on her shorts, though that still left her upper body exposed, save for her bra.

"Are ya done yet or what?" she heard him say.

"Uhm…" Kagome murmured as she searched her bag for the third time for something, anything to cover herself with, but to no avail.

"Y-yeah…" she'd just have to tough it out for tonight. After all, it couldn't be that bad right? It was just like wearing a bikini top, only she wasn't on the beach. Kouga spun around and his eyes almost immediately settled on Kagome's chest, which was barely hidden by a strange piece of cloth.

Kagome caught him staring and quickly wrapped her arms across her breasts in embarrassment. "Don't look at me like that!"

The wolf prince couldn't even find words to respond with as his male mind drifted off into so many different places, all at once. He wasn't sure what the purpose was of the garment she wore, but he loved the way it shaped her breasts, almost pushing them upwards while still contouring them nicely. All he could do is stare at the sight of her, until she covered herself and brought him out of his trance. "Hm, what?"

"You were just ogling my chest Kouga! You're such a pig!" Kagome accused, still quite flustered and rather uncomfortable. The fuming girl turned her back to him in a huff. Instead, she went about draping some of her damp clothing over the nearby boulder to dry, in hopes that they would be wearable by sunrise.

"I'm sorry Kagome but I couldn't resist; you're beautiful. But don't worry; I'll see _all_ of you on my own terms later" he said with a devious smirk.

"KOUGA!" That comment earned the wolf prince a painful smack on his cheek which left a stinging red imprint of Kagome's hand. Kagome was beyond embarrassment now as her face took on deeper red hues. "You're so unbelievable!" she fumed.

Kouga could only smirk as he rubbed his aching cheek. He was convinced his woman could knock out a bear demon with a hand like that and that thought only caused him to grin even wider. Kagome growled and turned her back to him once more, trying to busy herself with something else to take her mind off of the situation.

'_Just who the hell does he think he is saying things like that?' Then he has to have that stupid smug look all over his face!'_ Kagome ranted on in her head.

Several minutes later, Kagome had unravelled her sleeping bag which was thankfully still mostly dry. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room inside of the tiny cave for her to fully stretch out in it, without crowding Kouga in the process. So instead, she converted her sleeping bag into a large blanket and covered herself with it as she leaned against the wall of the cave.

Kouga had continued to watch her with keen interest as he scooted over to sit next to her against the cave walls. Kagome shot him a warning glare not to get too close to her and Kouga understood that perfectly.

"You stay over there where I can keep an eye on you, you pervert. You keep your hands to yourself," Kagome warned.

Kouga only let out a hearty chuckle. "Come on Kagome, do you really think I'd sink _that_ low? Remember, like I said, I'll see _all of you_ later on, when the time is right" he joked.

Kagome rolled her eyes before replying with her own witty comment, which led to a bit of banter back and forth between the two. Suddenly, before she knew it, Kagome didn't feel nearly as embarrassed around him as she had before. She found herself easily opening up to Kouga again as they chatted.

Within the hour though, Kagome had begun to doze off to in the warmth of her sleeping bag. The steady pitter-patter of the rain and the howling of the wind outside was enough to woo her off to sleep. Her last conscious thoughts reflected on her night with Kouga and then inevitably settled on Inuyasha and her friends. She couldn't help but wonder where they could be right now. Had they been caught in the rain like she and Kouga were, or had Miroku managed to sweet talk his way into a prestigious manor tonight? Kagome sighed as she pulled her blanket tightly to her as her last thoughts finally settled on Inuyasha once more.

Kouga smiled softly at the sleeping girl he admired as she snored lightly, and then returned to stare at the rain which still poured relentlessly outside. It was such a miserable night, yet Kagome had managed to brighten it for him considerably with her radiant smile and pleasant voice. He couldn't help but grin to himself. He enjoyed being near her, just finally having her here with him without mutt face around was enough to make his heart soar.

But come sunrise, Kouga knew he would have to break it to her that they would need to take a detour in their journey to find her friends. He needed to check on his pack. After all, he had been gone a few days without any word and he knew that they would be growing concerned of his absence. Kouga did have every intention of taking Kagome back to her friends, but first, he was going to use this situation to his advantage. He treasured this time with her; he was going to keep her with him as long as he could. Maybe then, he could finally make her realise the true depths of his affection for her.

…

**And there you have chapter seven guys, I really hope you've all enjoyed it. Once again, please let me know what you guys thought about this chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts/feedback. That's what really helps me to keep these chapters going. Until next time!**

**~nitriclove**


	8. Chapter 8

**.Chapter Eight**

**It's been way too long since my last update! Between moving to a new country and trying to survive university, it's been hectic! I lost inspiration for completing this story for awhile. I kinda wasn't sure which direction I wanted Beyond the Bounds to take but after watching the entire Inuyasha series again, I'm fired up and ready to go! **

**I honestly would like to thank all of my precious reviewers for your comments and above all your patience with me! I tried to make this chapter extra long, just for you guys, enjoy! **

…

Mizuki began to quietly stir from her deep sleep and slowly sat up, trying to shake the immense headache which soon followed. Grogginess clouded her mind as she sought to review the events of the past few hours, most of it seeming like a mere dream. But the chilly air and the rigid stone floor of her new prison were harsh reminders that everything that happened was indeed very real. She lifted her head and attempted to try and make out anything in the inky darkness of the place, though she could see nothing. Mizuki remembered following the demon, her captor, down the stairway that led to this new chamber so that she could avoid being poisoned by Naraku's fumes. She could still feel some of the lingering effects from the miasma and the evil aura, though she felt much better and stronger than she had a few hours before.

She remembered that the demon had lighted the way for her with a torch as they descended the stairs, but now that he was gone, she was left alone in complete darkness. Thankfully, she wasn't kept behind bars anymore as she was earlier, though she still felt every bit a prisoner in Naraku's castle. The priestess decided to explore this new area for anything that might be of use to her later on. Mizuki wouldn't allow herself to be completely defenceless in a place like this and if she couldn't rely on her spiritual powers to help her, she would have to rely on something else instead. Maybe there would be something that she could arm herself with. She stood on wobbly legs and began to fumble her way through the darkness.

Though virtually empty, the room was fairly large, and it took her quite a few minutes to feel her way around the entire thing. There were no windows; there were no lamps or torches, just complete and utter darkness. After finding nothing at all, the young priestess collapsed against the wall and sank to the ground. She brought her knees to her chin and cradled herself for some form of comfort.

The situation sure seemed hopeless enough. And still, she had yet to understand what this Naraku could've possibly wanted with her. Mizuki sat in the inky darkness of her prison as she reflected on everything that had occurred, and it frustrated her to no end that she had no idea why all of this was happening. As her thoughts ventured back to her peaceful village home in the north, tears threatened to surface from the corners of her emerald eyes. She longed to distance herself as far as possible from this dreary place and return to her quiet home.

At that thought, Mizuki also grew very concerned for the safety of her fellow villagers. Were they able to survive the attack? What of the elderly and children, had they gotten away to safety? There was so much chaos around her that she hadn't been able to assess the village's situation as she would've liked. Not that she was able to, seeing as how she had come face to face a very powerful shadow demon. Tears began to flow freely down her pale cheeks now as she buried her face in her arms and sobbed quietly.

A few years ago, she had only just begun the rigorous training which priesthood demanded of her. She had been ten years old at the time and now being a young woman of only sixteen, she would describe herself as anything _but_ an experienced priestess. Despite this, a crucial part of her training taught that one should always remain calm even in the face of danger, because rational thoughts lead to rational actions.

That also meant that irrational thoughts lead to irrational actions, which could bring about one's own demise, as well as that of others. As a priestess, allowing that to happen was inexcusable simply because it was her sole duty to protect those around her. That was the first thing she'd learned back then, taking control of her own mind and emotions through prayer and extensive meditation. Fortitude was an essential trait that all priestesses should possess, and her sensei had never let her forget that.

Yet look at her now.

She found herself in a dark chamber, all alone, captured by an indescribable evil and awaiting her demise. She knew she should stay vigilant, or calm her troubled spirit through meditation, yet all she could do is sit there and cry. Mizuki hated how she was dealing with this right now, but it seemed as though crying was the most easiest and painless form of release. But what would her sensei think if he saw her this way: huddled in a corner and sobbing like a little child who'd lost her mother? She knew that Master Kuang would be gravely disappointed in her, but she found that she just didn't care. It felt so good to be able to finally express herself in such a way for once, even if it was the result her own fears. Just being able to cry in frustration, venting her fears, was enough to lessen the burden of years of emotional restraint. The dark room was completely silent, save for the sounds of the young girl's sobs.

...

Kanna shifted her mirror and Naraku looked on in interest as he watched his captive priestess weep to herself. A small smile graced his lips at the sight of her apparent misery. There was just something about her suffering that roused the demon blood in his veins to feverish levels. Perhaps it was because she was so pure and innocent in nature that it made her pain all the more pleasurable to him. He could only imagine what the pure sweetness her virgin blood would taste like on the tip of his tongue. Or perhaps the delightful sound of her screaming in utter horror and writhing under him as he...

Naraku frowned at that thought. He was never one to allow his primal instincts rule his thoughts in such a way. He mentally cursed his human blood. That particular part of him always seemed to be raging with one emotion or another and he found it to be quite a nuisance. The fool, Onigumo always made him feel certain human emotions that he would rather not experience such as jealousy and...lust. Clearly, Onigumo now lusted for this human girl, as he did Kikyo, and that was made apparent by the throbbing member brushing uncomfortably against his yukata. Naraku sighed in annoyance, deciding that he would have to find another way to rid himself completely of Onigumo at a later date.

Instead, Naraku peered evilly into Kanna's mirror and saw that the young priestess had ceased her sobbing and had curled into a fetal position against the castle wall. He rose from his sitting position on the floor and decided that it was about time he paid his new guest a visit. After all, as master of the castle, it would be rather impolite of him not to introduce himself to his honoured guest.

And besides, he was sure that his lonely little priestess could use some company.

...

Mizuki had fallen into a light sleep again until she was jolted awake by an overwhelming evil presence in the room. She instantly stood to her feet and prepared herself to face whatever it was that could make her very spirit cringe with scorn. Mizuki instantly realized that she was no longer in complete darkness as she was before she fell asleep. Now, there were lit torches mounted on various places on the room's wall which allowed her to see the entire space now. She found it to be quite odd, seeing as how she had been surrounded only by darkness before she fell asleep. But it was the figure that now stood in front of her which truly captured her attention.

There, in front of her stood a man with very pale skin and silky jet black hair smirking at her. Over his shoulders was a loosely draped, thick, white baboon pelt. She also noted that this demon bore a striking resemblance to the demon that had captured her earlier. If she didn't know any better, she would've assumed that they were one and the same. Though, the one clear difference between them was that Tesoha's features were somehow more placid than that of this sinister demon before her. But what really frightened Mizuki were his piercing crimson eyes that stared evilly into hers.

She knew right away that this must have been the one called _Naraku_. He must have been the one responsible for the ominous presence she felt within this castle. She could sense only coldness and evil pouring from him. There was no trace of warmth whatsoever emanating from this creature. It was almost as though he was one of the undead, but that couldn't be since she could not detect any traces of death from him. He was perhaps a mortal who had never actually died. Yet at the same time, this being wasn't exactly alive either. She wasn't sure what to make of him. There was no other way to explain his existence. He just simply was.

Mizuki felt her mouth go dry as the demon before her smirked even wider. She noticeably tensed but was determined to maintain her fortitude, especially in the face of her adversary. She had to admit though, that doing that was easier said than done.

"So, you must be the little priestess they call Mizuki." Naraku began in a low tone.

"Yes. And I assume you are the reason I'm in this wretched place to begin with." Mizuki replied carefully, yet sternly.

"Indeed, I am. You see, I am called Naraku and I am the master of this castle. I'm quite saddened to hear that you have not been enjoying your stay so far, priestess."

Her eye twitched in annoyance. "Obviously not, now what do you want with me demon? I may be a priestess, but I'm still nothing more than an orphaned girl from a small village. I have nothing of value" she spat.

"Oh but indeed you do Mizuki. Because of your heritage, you possess a certain ability that only two others in this world possess. It certainly is a rare, yet valuable talent. I intend to put your abilities to good use; you can be assured of that." Naraku's sinful gaze glided up and down Mizuki's lithe form, making her become noticeably uncomfortable.

Mizuki quickly adjusted herself again. She could not allow her enemy to spot any weakness. But she couldn't help but become curious as to what he was talking about. As far as she was concerned, she didn't possess any talents that would drive a demon such as him to take her captive. "I don't know of which you speak, demon. In any case, you surely have evil intentions. Whatever is it you're planning to do, I refuse to be a part of it. You may as well kill me now."

Naraku laughed eerily at the priestess' proposal that he end her life instead. "You would really rather perish than to see what I have in store for you, girl?" His eyes were twinkling with amusement now but Mizuki stood firm in her resolve.

"Yes. I refuse to be a part of your evil scheme, whatever that may be."

Another laugh erupted from his throat. Humans could be so foolish sometimes; it would never cease to humour him. "Well Mizuki, I regret to inform you, but you have no say in the matter. You will have no choice but to cooperate. As for your death wish...don't worry, we'll see to that sooner than you think."

Instead of cringing, she chose to shrug off the deep chill that crept over her skin from Naraku's statement. "Still, you never answered my question..._Naraku_" she started, feeling uneasy using his name, "why is it that you need me? Like I said, I'm only a priestess. I can't imagine what a demon such as you could possibly want with someone like me. And what could _you _possibly know about my heritage?"

"Let me ask you this. Are you familiar with the old story of the Jewel of Four Souls?"

Mizuki had no idea where he was going with this, but nodded slowly, urging him to continue.

"Well then that must also mean that you are familiar with the great priestess Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon no Tama."

"Yes, now what's your point?"

Naraku smirked at her eagerness to hear what else he had to say. He figured that there would be no harm in telling her his plans, seeing as how she would be sacrificed very soon. "You see, the Sacred jewel has recently been shattered into many scattered fragments and I seek to collect them for myself. The problem is, doing this can prove to be rather difficult on my own. And that is why you are going to help me find them."

"Me? I've never even laid eyes upon the jewel before. I think you must have me confused with someone else. And even if I could help you, like I said, I refuse so you can just forget it!"

"Oh no, I'm absolutely positive I have the right priestess. I do not require your consent to locate the jewel fragments either. The only thing I require is...your eyes."

Her breathe caught in her throat. Did he just say...her eyes? Why would he need her _eyes_? Mizuki stood in place, paralyzed from shock and the fear of what terrible things this demon must have planned for her. Naraku absolutely enjoyed the waves of fear washing over her body. Just the mere scent of it enticed him just a few steps closer to her.

"Yes, you heard me correctly priestess. I require your eyes...and I'll have them soon. With them I will be able to locate the sacred jewel shards for myself." He spoke lowly as he took a few more steps until he was standing in front of the frightened priestess.

"W-why my _eyes_?" she stammered out.

Naraku was standing extremely close to her now and bent so that his pale lips were right next to her left ear. Mizuki could feel his icy breath tickling the hair on her neck as he breathed, causing it to bristle. He spoke so lowly that Mizuki barely heard him, despite his close proximity to her ear.

"Because you can see the shards of the Shikon no Tama."

Mizuki's eyes widened in shock and disbelief at what the demon had just told her, and she was instantly freed from her own paralysis. Without a second thought, she jumped back and brought her hand to smack Naraku hard across the cheek. However, she found that he easily caught her by the wrist before she could even touch him. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't very pleased about her attempt on him.

This was her chance to escape! Channelling what was left of her spiritual energy into the wrist he held onto, she tried to immobilize him just long enough for her to flee. White sparks crackled and sizzled up the length of her arm as she channelled the energy into her wrist, though it fizzled out just as quickly as it came. Naraku didn't even _flinch_ from the short burst of spiritual energy. Mizuki gasped, devastated to see that she had no effect whatsoever on him. Her heart began racing and she knew that surely she had angered him, and that she would pay for it dearly.

"_Pathetic_. Did you really think I could be harmed by such a weak trick?"

Naraku still held a firm grip on her wrist and as her heart sped up in anticipation, so did her blood flow. He could feel her blood charging through the veins in her wrist, which brought about the same excitement he had felt earlier in his own chambers. Naraku painfully tightened the grip on her wrist and bent her arm backwards, hard, rendering her helpless and on her knees, screaming in pain. Her yelps and screams were like sweet music to his ears and only excited him further. Needing to see her squirm in even more agony before him, he took hold of her other wrist and clenched it tightly. The grotesque sound of ripping cartilage and bone under his claws met Naraku's ears which only pleased him further. The priestess shrieked in agony and tears flowed down her face. It felt as though Naraku was going to shatter her wrist bones...maybe even sever her hand completely.

He straightened her arm and yanked her to her feet. Naraku brought one of her wrists to his lips and inhaled, savouring her natural scent, as well as that of her terror. His tongue lashed out and caressed the underside of her wrist, on top of her luscious veins. The temptation to simply bite into her veins and taste the savoury life blood they were sure to hold was great, but Naraku couldn't inflict any fatal wounds on her just yet. He needed her alive for just a little while longer until the ritual could be performed. Instead he used his fangs to puncture small holes in her flesh, drawing tiny droplets of blood. He quickly lapped them up and sucked at the new wounds drawing more blood.

The taste of her was even better than he had imagined; it was sheer bliss. His demonic bloodlust flared as it demanded to taste more of her. His sexual lust was increasingly mounting as well as he felt the throbbing ache in his groin again that commanded to be satisfied. Naraku never minded giving in to his demonic urge for blood. That particular thirst could be quenched by simply slaughtering a few lesser demons. It was his sexual urges that seemed almost insatiable, and it aggravated him to no end. While he found the pleasures of sex to be incomparable to anything else, he also found that such pleasures were bittersweet in nature because his need was often so ravenous...uncontrollable. There was almost no way for him to suppress his sexual desires. In this way, he was damned. He possessed the need of a human male in his prime which was only amplified a hundred times over by his demonic blood. There was no way for him to compromise with his hybrid, beastly nature. He was an abomination.

Never one to completely give into his primal instincts and abandon reason, Naraku forcefully quelled his lusts and released her wrist which she instantly drew close to her. His face remained emotionless, his demeanour so cool that Mizuki would never know of the inner turmoil that Naraku had just battled.

"Let that be your first and _only_ warning, priestess. Do not cross me again."

Naraku decided that he would leave and deal with the girl sometime later on. For now, he needed to vent his pent up sexual frustrations on his traitorous incarnation, Kagura as he usually did. After all, Kagura could not be trusted; she'd proved that before in the past. So Naraku figured it was a good lesson for her, to remind her time and time again exactly who her master was.

His utter violation and degradation of her body gave him great pleasure but even he had to admit that he grew bored of his sex toy sometimes. Now, he desired something new to play with instead. The priestess in front of him would make an excellent replacement. Her body would not regenerate itself as quickly as Kagura's and he would be able to marvel at the terrible scars and bruises he would tarnish her supple body with as he brutally took her. The mortal bandit sealed within him growled in approval at Naraku's devious thoughts. In time, he would see to it that Onigumo's desire for this woman would be fulfilled. Maybe then, he could find some sort of relief from his severe desires.

Mizuki was beyond thankful to the gods when Naraku finally left, just as mysteriously as he had come. With a sigh of relief, she collapsed to the floor, cradling her injured hand to her. The throbbing pain in it was almost unbearable and she moaned desperately. Perhaps worst of all though, it almost felt as though the vile creature's tongue was still lingering on her flesh. That disgusting sensation still persisted strongly in her thoughts, making her cringe.

She slowly reached back and frowned as she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder where Naraku had bent her arm back. Suddenly the feeling of sheer helplessness washed over her again and she fought back the urge to cry once more. _No_, she reminded herself. She needed to be strong or she would not make it out of this situation alive. But then again, by the looks of things, it seemed as though there really was no hope of her making it out of this in one peace anyways. Judging by how badly Naraku had injured her wrist, she was pretty sure it would be virtually useless now. But she still had to hope for a way out...just hope and pray.

"So I see you've finally met Naraku." She heard a voice coo from behind her. At that moment, she knew exactly who it was, and she wasn't thrilled about it in the least. She had to admit, she was growing very tired of these demons, and rather quickly too.

"You again" Mizuki growled without even bothering to turn around and address the shadow demon.

"Oh? Could it be that you are not happy to see me again Mizuki?" He spoke with false surprise, a small smile upon his face.

Mizuki spun around to see none other than Tesoha standing before her with a bowl in his clawed hands, though she found that his expression was difficult to read. She held both hands to her chest protectively and cautiously eyed the bowl in his hands, unsure of what his intentions were. "What do you want now?"

Tesoha wordlessly strode towards her in several soundless motions and Mizuki braced for the worst. But she relaxed when she noticed that he had stopped and now stared at her in slight confusion.

"Are you afraid of me?"

Now she definitely didn't expect him to ask her such a question. And what did it matter to him if she was afraid of him or not? Why would he care? "I may be mistaken. Was it not you who attacked my village, kidnapped me and brought me to this dreadful place and threatened to kill me not very long ago?"

"I suppose you are right, but..." He drifted off as his eyes landed onto her badly damaged wrist. It was as though he didn't even realize what he was doing when he came closer and attempted to reach out and touch her bruises. Mizuki pulled back, which brought him out of his daze and he met her warm emerald eyes with his cold ones.

"I see Naraku has not been very kind to you" he spoke with an air of seriousness about him as his eyes drifted back down to her wounded wrist.

Mizuki began to feel really uncomfortable at how close this demon had gotten to her, and by the way he stared at her. It just seemed so strange to look into the eyes of another and not have the slightest clue as to what they were thinking or feeling. He was emotionless. But what was she to expect? He was a demon after all, she reminded herself. They only emotions they could possibly show were hatred and greed. She shouldn't bother searching for anything else. She slowly shifted backwards, unsure exactly what to make of the situation.

Tesoha noticed her discomfort and then decided it was best to divert to the real reason he had come here in the first place. He held out the bowl he had brought with him towards her. She cautiously peered down at it and noticed that it was made out of crude clay of some sort. From it rose steam as well as an aroma that Mizuki could only describe as heavenly. Taking a closer look, she could see small chunks of vegetables and meat floating about in it and came to the conclusion that this demon must have been ordered to bring her something to eat.

"Here, take it and eat."

The young priestess narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him. "Why would I take anything from a _demon_? I don't need your food, I'm fine!" Though as if on cue, her stomach groaned in protest and her face instantly reddened. She made a small 'eep' noise as she brought her arms around the source of her embarrassment.

Tesoha raised a very delicate eyebrow. "Because you're hungry, that's why. Now here, eat." He held the bowl in front of her and waited patiently for her to take it.

Mizuki figured that she may as well accept his offer. After all, she had no idea when or if she would get another meal again. This brew, whatever it was, didn't smell half bad either. Carefully, she adjusted herself and took the bowl from him. Within seconds of grasping it, she felt the sharp pain return in her damaged wrist due to the sudden weight of the bowl. The bowl began to tumble and she cried out in pain as its hot contents spilled out onto her bruised wrist. Tesoha reached out and caught it just in time before all of the bowl's contents could be wasted on the floor.

He quickly set it down beside him and proceeded to tear away the delicate fabric from the sleeve of his navy blue yukata. He tore one long strip and reached out to take the priestess' hands. But she pulled away instantly and scowled with disgust.

"Don't you touch me!" she spat out.

He pulled back quickly as if he had been bitten and narrowed his eyes in annoyance at her impudence. "Don't be foolish girl. This needs to be cleaned off of you. Do you want to get those wounds infected?" Tesoha was beginning to grow impatient with her now.

Mizuki gasped at his tone and found herself at a loss for words. Tesoha took one of her hands and began the task of cleaning them while she watched in silence. Was she actually being...tended to? All her life Mizuki had been taught to rely on helping herself. If she was strong enough to help herself, then she could focus her efforts on helping others instead. She was taught that she should be the one administering aid to those in need, and generally, never the other way around. It was against her training to accept help in such a simple, petty situation like this. It was a harsh lesson that had begun as early as she could remember, even before her actual spiritual cultivation had begun. As a very young child, her sensei had groomed her to be completely self reliant, strong and always ready to serve. Those, he always said, were the qualities of a good priestess.

Now here she was, being tended to and by a demon nonetheless. Never in her wildest dreams did Mizuki ever think something like this would happen. But why was he so concerned about a small matter such as this? After all, they only needed her to be alive for whatever it was they were scheming. So then, why would something as simple as a broken wrist and a few cuts bother this demon? He threatened to kill her one moment, then the next, he's snapping at her for spilling soup all over herself? None of this was making any sense.

She silently watched as he handled her carefully, cleaning up the last bit of the soup. She still felt the stinging sensation in her wrist from before, but she was more interested in the demon in front of her. What could his motives be? He was illusive, and quite difficult to figure out. After he was finished, Tesoha discarded the used cloth to the ground and stood to his feet. Then he began to undo a fine, knotted rope which was tied at his chest and it was only then that Mizuki realized that he had been carrying something on his back. A small futon was unravelled, which he opened and spread in another corner of the room.

"I know you humans are quite fragile. I figured you would need something comfortable to sleep on. After all, you're an honoured guest. Sleeping on a hard floor wouldn't suit you." He said with a touch of humour now. There was that arrogant side of him again. The side of him that Mizuki found to be highly irritating.

She eyed the simple bedding he had lain out for her. "_Fragile?_ I think you must have me mistaken for another human."

He chuckled at her comment. "My, always the tough girl, aren't we priestess?" Something about this human girl humoured him and he couldn't quite place his finger on it. He found it to be quite amusing to push her buttons, perhaps because of her childish stubbornness. It captured his interest to say the very least.

"In the Den of the Devil, one ought to be" she said pointedly.

Tesoha let out another chuckle. "Yes, you keep that in mind priestess." With that said, he turned to walk away to leave her to what was left of her meal, when he heard her speak.

"Thank you."

"Hm?" He paused and turned around to face her.

Mizuki cleared her throat and repeated her statement, still not quite believing that she would say such a thing to a demon. But he did show her kindness nonetheless "Thank you. For the food and the bedding, I mean."

A smile graced his handsome face. "You're welcome, priestess. Remember, you're our guest. Naraku may not make a very good host, but I, on the other hand, am much more hospitable. I'll see to it that you are as comfortable as possible here." He finished with a dramatic bow.

She really resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That is, only until Naraku is ready to kill me" she pointed out matter of factly. "Besides, like I said, I don't need your help for anything. I'm just fine. Save yourself the trouble." Mizuki got up from her spot on the ground and made her way to the futon that had been lain out for her.

"So tell me Mizuki, why is it that for a girl your age, your demeanour is so hardened?" he spoke smoothly from behind her. Her breath caught in her throat. She turned to face the shadow demon, unsure of what exactly to say next. It perplexed her as to why this demon seemed to be trying to hold a conversation with her in the first place.

"Just what do you mean by that?"

Tesoha seemed slightly thoughtful for a moment before returning his gaze to the priestess again. "Perhaps now is not the best time to discuss this." He gave her one last, subtle smile before he vanished through the wall of the room.

Mizuki now had no clue what to think. Everything about this situation just seemed so confusing, especially the demon named Tesoha, who was especially baffling. He could be cold as ice, with a voice laced with venom at one moment. Then the next, he could be cocky and arrogant while still maintaining his composed demeanour. She hated to admit it, but she found him to be quite attractive and she would've considered him to be oddly charming, had she not known that this demon could still prove to be a formidable enemy. Still though, he had a way about him that led her to believe that he was somehow…not exactly what he seemed to be. Even so, she would never allow herself to fall into a state of false security in a place such as this.

She had to stay sharp and keep her wits about her. Her very life depended on it.

...

Warm rays of sunlight carefully crept into the small cave where the human girl and wolf demon had spent the previous night. The morning glow serenely lit the face of the sleeping human girl, causing her to rouse from her sleep. Kagome's eyes peeked open and she sat up with a good long stretch and a yawn. The blurred memories of the previous night came flooding back to her and she quickly covered herself with her makeshift blanket, hoping that she hadn't just given Kouga an eyeful of her exposed chest. Kagome looked around, finding that she was alone in the shallow cave.

"Huh? Kouga?" She directed her attention to the boulder at the back of the cave where she had lain out her soaked clothing the night before. Upon closer inspection, she found that her clothes hadn't completely dried but were at least wearable for the time being. Kagome dressed herself in her school attire and packed the rest of her things.

She shielded her eyes as she stepped out of the damp cave and into the warmth of the morning sun. The air was still quite humid and remnants of lasts night's rain left the grass and trees gleaming under the sun's rays. Kagome scanned the area for any sign of her wolf demon friend.

"I wonder where he went off to?" She took a few steps forward and peered in between the many trees ahead to see if she could spot any sign of him.

"Right behind you" She heard a voice speak from behind her. Kagome spun around to see none other than Kouga standing on top of the cave they had rested in. He beamed at her, exposing his fangs. Though it was what he held in his hand which caught Kagome's eyes. Kouga held a stick with two small fish skewered through it.

"Oh, there you are."

"Yeah, I caught us something to eat before we head out. Pickings were pretty slim around here but.."

"Kouga, you really didn't have to go through the trouble. I had some food in my bag I could've cooked for breakfast" Kagome said.

Kouga raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You mean that hot weird stuff we ate last night? No thanks, Kagome. Fish is fine for me."

She rolled her eyes. After all, it was _his_ fault for trying to shovel the whole thing in his mouth all at once. Within minutes, the two had a small fire going and Kouga offered to roast Kagome's fish for her, something which she was grateful for. Though, after it was cooked, Kouga was surprised at how quickly Kagome gobbled up her meal. Not very long after that, she had packed her things and was on her feet, ready to set off again.

Kouga's gaze lingered on the woman he loved before he diverted it back onto the dying flames of their fire. She'd been smiling at him, waiting patiently for him to break camp and take her back to Inuyasha. Gods, he loved that smile of hers so much. It was one of the only things in this world that could make his knees weak and his stomach flip a hundred times over for her. But he had to break it to her. He'd left his pack for too long with hardly a word and he needed to ensure their safety. When it came to demon clans, anything could go wrong in just a few short hours and Kouga needed to make sure that order was upheld in his tribe.

"Ready to go?" Kagome chimed as Kouga stood and kicked loose earth to extinguish the dying flame. Of course she'd be excited to get away from him and into the arms of her mutt, Kouga thought drearily.

"Sure Kagome, hop on" he said as he knelt and allowed Kagome to climb onto his back. "By the way we're gonna take a little detour first."

With that, Kouga sprinted off eastward leaving just a trail of dust in his wake even before Kagome could think to ask any questions. She shielded her eyes from the sudden gusts of wind whipping at her face. "What do you mean a detour? Kouga, where are we going?" Kagome struggled to speak over the roar of the rushing wind, her throat growing dry. There was a moment of silence between the two, as if Kouga had been contemplating the right words to say to her.

"We're headin' back to the den Kagome, just for a few hours. I need to make sure the pack's doing alright."

Back to the wolf demon den he just said? Kagome dreaded the thought of going back there again. She thought back to the last time she was taken to Kouga's den when he kidnapped her. From what she could recall, the wolves didn't seem very thrilled about having a human sitting around in their den, especially one that wasn't for dinner. After having to sit quietly and tolerate their hungry and lustful glares, she decided would rather not go through that again anytime soon.

"But Kouga, what about finding Inuyasha and the others?" Kagome was pretty sure that her voice had been drowned out from the wind and that Kouga hadn't heard her.

The disappointment in her voice stung his pride. She didn't want to come home with him. "I really need to make sure the clan's doing okay. Don't you worry Kagome. It'll just be for a little while and we'll catch up to your friends soon, promise" That wasn't the entire truth but that wasn't a complete lie either. Kouga conveniently neglected to tell Kagome that he was sure that by the time they reached his den and travelled back to this region, her friends would already be long gone, if they'd even been around here in the first place.

Kagome stared at the blurred scenery around them as Kouga pressed on at full speed. She wrestled with the thought of going with Kouga back to his den, but what choice did she have? He seemed deadest on visiting his home and there didn't seem to be much that she could do about it. Kagome decided she'd just have to accept it. Besides, Kouga had been nice enough to rescue her when she needed it and offered to help her find her friends. The least she could do is allow him to take care of whatever he needed to, no matter how much she wouldn't like it. She was positive Kouga wouldn't let anything happen to her in his care, so she really didn't have anything to worry about...did she?

Kouga took note of Kagome's silent resolve and he couldn't be more pleased that she hadn't protested any further. He wasn't sure if he could handle any more rejection from her. He only hoped that everything would go according to his plan.

...

Hakkaku snored loudly on his bed of soft grass but was rudely awakened when a rock collided painfully with his forehead. The wolf demon sat up and growled in frustration, rubbing the reddend spot where his head ached. "Hey! What's the big idea?" He leapt to his feet and spun around wildly in search of the culprit. His gaze rested on his comrade Ginta, who'd been sitting across the river from him. "Ginta, what the hell's your problem?" Hakkaku roared out.

"You have to stay up Hakkaku! What if Kouga comes back and finds you asleep on guard duty? Then we'll _both_ be in trouble you idiot!" Ginta shot back.

Hakkaku shrugged. "Oh come on, Kouga's been gone for days looking for Kagome. We all know how he is when it comes to her; he'll go to the ends of the earth to find her. He won't be back for a good, long while." He plopped back down to the soft grass with a sigh and laid back comfortably. "Besides, nothing ever happens around here anyways. A nice short nap won't hurt."

Hakkaku then felt an even greater pain in his head within seconds of closing his eyes "Arg! Ginta what the fuck is wrong with you?" Hakkaku reared up and prepared to lunge at the wolf demon who'd dared to wake him up a second time.

"Hakkaku, it wasn't me!" the other wolf demon said while pointing towards a nearby cliff. Hakkaku turned to see a _very_ angry alpha male and his woman staring down at them from high above. His face paled at the frightening sight of Kouga who now dangerously bared his fangs.

"K-Kouga!" both demons chimed in unison.

"_He won't be back for a good long while_, huh?" Ginta mocked, repeating Hakkaku's words. "Well serves you right Hakkaku, you deserved it!"

Ginta groaned when a rock collided with his skull too, and it was now Hakkaku's turn to laugh. "But I didn't even do anything!" he whined.

Kouga simply ignored the complaint. He wrapped an arm around Kagome's waist and leapt down until he landed near the mouth of the cave, shrouded by the waterfall and light mist that curtained it.

The two wolf demons hastily approached, eager to great their leader. "Kouga, you brought Kagome back with you!" Ginta piped up.

"Hey boys" Kagome greeted the two with smiles as they hurried over to meet them. Kouga, who wore a typical cocky smirk, was swelling with pride to finally have Kagome with him at his side, at _his_ home. What was even better was that unlike the last time she was there, this time there were no hostages, no threat from demon birds and definitely no _Inuyasha_. He preferred the latter most of all.

Somewhere deep within him, he wanted more than anything else for Kagome to experience his world. For her to see that there was more to the wolf demon tribe than just a bunch of ruthless demons. He only wished that their stay would be much longer than just a few hours but he knew that would never happen. He'd promised to help her find her friends and he fully intended to keep that promise. However, he had a good feeling that he would be spending a lot more time with Kagome than she expected.

"So did you finally beat Inuyasha and convinced Kagome to stay with us, Kouga?" Hakkaku asked, his voice laden with hope.

Kouga stole a quick glance at Kagome whose cheeks were already beginning to burn at the mention of her staying with him and before he could answer, she took the opportunity instead.

"Oh don't be silly guys. It's nothing like that" she replied meekly.

"It's a long story. Kagome got separated from dog breath and her friends. You two get ready to head out in an hour" Kouga said sternly, not really wanting to waste any more time with the two morons. He barked out a few more orders and the two scrambled off in different directions to make the necessary preparations for their journey.

...

The wolf demon cave was shrouded in a thick, earthen scent that almost calmed Kagome, despite the fact that she was being watched by least twenty five of Kouga's demons. Kouga had marched on into his den, holding her tightly to him by the waist. He held his head high, and his tail erect like only an alpha male would as he was greeted by some of this men.

Suddenly Kagome felt small among the wolf demon men towering around her discussing affairs of which she knew absolutely nothing about. As if sensing her discomfort, Kouga had excused them both from his badgering men and proceeded to the back of the cave with Kagome. He had set her on the hay bed he once threw her on when he captured her almost a year ago. Kouga promised that he would be back as soon as he could for her. He assured her that she would be one hundred percent safe in his cave and with an apologetic look, he sauntered away with his men to tend to his business.

'_This is great. Just great.'_ Kagome groaned to herself as she scanned around the cave at the many gazes still aimed at her. Whatever confidence she'd had while walking in with Kouga was almost completely gone now because of some of the hostile looks she was receiving from the wolf demons. Digging into her bag to find something to distract herself, Kagome pulled out a few textbooks and decided that she may as well get a head start on her homework. She buried her face deep within the books in an attempt to drown out the looks she was getting from the demons who didn't dare to approach her. Or so she thought.

After only a few minutes of trying to solve her math problems, Kagome heard the soft crunching of the hay she lay on as two feet approached. She peered upwards and was met by two large, emerald eyes gazing directly back at her curiously. The little pup that stood there in front of her was dressed in typical brown pelts with sandy blonde hair that was pulled into a high but short pony tail. The girl, who clearly didn't have an aversion to humans like the adults did, had wanted to get a better look at the strange human girl.

Kagome lowered her book and smiled sweetly at the young child, glad to have some company. "Hi, I'm Kagome. What's your name?"

"I'm Amanei. Umm...what're those?" the little girl asked sheepishly, utterly fascinated with Kagome's textbook and pen.

"Oh, this? Just some homework" Kagome shrugged. At the girl's questioning gaze, Kagome chuckled softly. "Believe me, you don't want to know what homework is."

She didn't say anything but Kagome noted the almost pleading and anxious look in the girl's jade eyes and decided to just show her how the pen worked with the paper. Amanei's face lit up instantly as she drew out shapes and squiggles with Kagome's blue pen.

"Kagome, this homework of yours is so amazing! Look at how clear the lines are! I could do this all day!" Amanei cheered as she tried to draw out various objects around her. Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Never before did she imagine that she'd ever hear a child say that they actually _enjoyed_ homework, let alone a wolf demon child, even if she didn't quite understand what homework was.

"Here, try these instead, Amanei" Kagome started as she dug through her yellow backpack. She revealed a new pack of coloring crayons that she had intended to give to Shippo. "They're probably a lot more fun than a boring old pen."

Amanei's eyes lit up at the sight of all the bright and vivid colors and she instantly got to work trying them out. The girl's excitement was contagious and Kagome soon found herself laughing as well. All the commotion had certainly sparked the interest of the adults though they still preferred to keep their distance. A few other children however couldn't help but stalk closer, far too curious as to what Amanei could be having so much fun with. Soon, Kagome was surrounded by a hoard of excited wolf demon cubs, all too eager to see what else she had in her bag.

Kagome didn't mind one bit though. In fact, she'd come to quickly love the children and they seemed to adore her as well. She showed them all kinds of knick knacks from her era and they in turn showed Kagome some of their toys and games that they loved to play.

"You should've seen the look on Amanei's face when she saw that huge lizard! It was priceless!" one little boy exclaimed with his arms thrown high into the air. The other children doubled over in laughter at the memory.

Amanei folded her arms and pouted. "Well I wasn't _that_ scared!"

The pups had been telling Kagome all about the pranks and tricks they would all play on each other and Kagome just couldn't help catching onto the excitement as their combined laughter rang throughout the cave. A few of the regular wolves had even ambled over to the group to get in on the fun and games.

Still though, Kagome couldn't help but notice that even though the children had easily warmed up to her, not one of the adults had even bothered to approach her. Most of them didn't even care to keep an eye her anymore. She couldn't help but wonder why the parents of these cubs hadn't come to retrieve their children either. She was sure that they hadn't wanted to get near her, but she was equally surprised that they hadn't called their children away from her. Maybe she would ask Kouga about it later. Though, the subject of the charming wolf prince was brought up a whole lot sooner than she had expected.

"So Kagome, you're going to be Kouga's mate one day aren't you?" a feral looking cub asked, her large grey eyes full of wonder and hope.

Kagome felt her cheeks redden deeply at the mere mention of being Kouga's woman yet again. Normally something like this wouldn't have bothered her so much, but being here in his home, in front of all these children... Well how could she explain to them that Kouga had more or less _declared_ her as his woman, instead of it being a mutual decision?

"Erm..well you see.." But she was cut off by a boy who stood proudly in his leader's defence.

"Well of course she is! Don't you remember when Kouga announced to the whole pack he had chosen a human mate? And she sure is pretty, too!"

"Announced? Wha..what do you mean by that?" Kagome began warily. _'Could he mean the time when we fought the birds of paradise? But no, there were only soldiers around that time. These kids weren't there to hear that.' _She was beginning to dread the answer.

"The night after those nasty birds were killed Kouga told the whole pack that you two were to be married" an older girl said with a dreamy sigh. "How romantic..." That earned her a few exaggerated gagging noises from some of the younger children.

Kagome couldn't believe the kind of situation she had just found herself in. So not only had Kouga declared her as his woman in front of his men, he did it _again_ in front of the entire pack! Could that be why none of the adults bothered to approach her? Was it because they knew that she was the human Kouga wanted to marry?

When it came to demons, Kagome knew all too well what their attitude was like towards humans. She'd seen it time and time again when it came to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha and she knew that these wolf demons probably despised her too. But what did she care? As far as she was concerned, she didn't need their acceptance. After all, this wasn't her home and it never will be. She loved Inuyasha and had no desire to pursue a relationship with Kouga. He just wasn't her type...she just wished that he could understand that.

"Well, why don't we talk about that later you guys? I'd really like to learn that game you all were telling me about" She decided it would be better to leave that topic alone. Discussing her love life was the very last thing she wanted to do right now.

The older boy who she learned was called Hachirou jumped at the opportunity to show off his skill in his favourite game. "Sure Kagome, I can show you how to play! I'm the best at this game!" Hachirou looked to be about Souta's age, Kagome thought absently, if not, then a little bit older. He had tousled silver hair and tanned skin, no doubt due to spending lots of time playing in the sun.

"Yeah we can all show you how to play Kagome! We usually play in the fields just below the main cave" another cub piped up.

"Well some fresh air sure wouldn't hurt at all!" Kagome began as she packed her things. The children cheered and began running towards the cave entrance. Amanei and Hachirou stayed behind to assist her in gathering the rest of her belongings and then joined Kagome in catching up with the rest of the cubs, who'd already run off. Amanei held Kagome's hand and Hachirou bragged about his game scores to her as the three happily strolled to the entrance.

"And just what do we have here?"

The three were met by a small group of demons that were blocking the entrance of the den. The demon that intercepted them stood quite taller than the others. He was heavily built with thick furs clinging to his waist and wore the traditional wolf demon armor. Beady black eyes slightly covered by messy brown bangs stared at Kagome with keen interest.

"Would ya look at this boys, I think the little human's lost!" he shouted out to his comrades behind him.

Great, and just when she was beginning to feel lucky by not getting into any confrontations with the demon wolves. She really wished she could avoid any unnecessary violence, but by the looks of it, this guy was just looking for trouble. The large demon approached Kagome and leaned down to get a better look at her. She firmly held her ground and stared daggers back at him. Kagome knew that there was no way she could hope to defend herself against the demon in front of her, especially without her sacred arrows. Just one of his powerful hands could snap her neck easily. But at the same time, she didn't back down. She just couldn't.

"L-look, I don't want any trouble" Kagome croaked out. She mentally slapped herself; she hadn't meant for her voice to come out that way. She didn't want this demon to get the idea that she was afraid of him, which she most certainly was.

He roared out with a thunderous laughter and was joined by the men behind him. He flung the dead boar he'd been carrying on his shoulder to the side and smirked at Kagome.

"Don't want any trouble? Sorry girlie but you just found it. What's a _human_ doing in a place like this, huh?" he slurred. His eyes were locked dangerously onto Kagome's chocolate ones. He then let them roam lustfully up and down her body, taking in every single curve. "Then again, you're a lot prettier than the other ones. I might just decide to have a little fun with you before I devour you alive."

Whoops, whistles and excited cheers erupted from his men. "Hey boss, don't forget about us too!" one demon cried out from the back.

"The hell you will!" Hachirou forced himself in front of Kagome and took on a defensive stance. "You better back off you big jerk or I'm gonna tell Kouga! Then you'll be sorry you ever looked at Kagome that way!" the proud youth bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"That's Taisuke. He's the head hunter of the tribe. He'spretty scary... " Amanei whispered as she clung onto Kagome's hand and cowered behind her.

"Out of my way you little brat!" Taisuke growled as he smacked Hachirou hard across the cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"No, Hachirou!" Kagome called out as she ran towards him. She quickly checked over his body for any wounds, relieved that he had gotten away with just a few scratches. "How could you? He's just a child!" She could feel her anger slowly rising. Demon or not, what kind of a man hurts a child like that? Kagome stood up and approached Taisuke, her fear of him temporarily forgotten and replaced with anger. "Look, whatever you want, this is between me and you, there's no need to harm innocent children!"

By this time a small crowd had formed to observe the unfolding events, yet no one dared to interfere. Next to Kouga, Taisuke was the second strongest in the entire tribe. His brute strength and nasty temper was more than enough of an incentive to keep anyone from getting in his way. No wolf was stupid enough to challenge Taisuke especially for the sake of a mere human girl.

"You got some guts there human, I like that" Taisuke grinned evilly, "but you should be worrying more about yourself little lady..." he growled as he cupped Kagome's face and forced her to look at him. His smirk never faded from his face. "You have no idea what I'm going to do to you for being here..." He sent his lips crashing down onto hers in a forceful kiss.

Kagome wanted to scream but she couldn't, so she squirmed until she broke free of his slobbering mouth. "Get your filthy hands off me!" Kagome shoved his hand away from her and smacked his face as hard as she could. A loud ringing noise resonated throughout the cave as Taisuke slowly reached up to touch the stinging handprint on his cheek. A few gasps and hushed whispers erupted from the surrounding demons. Kagome began to panic. She knew she'd done it. She knew she'd pissed Taisuke off judging by the vicious scowl contorting his scarred face.

"You insolent wench! How dare you!" A clawed hand came flying at her and sent her sprawling to the ground. "I'll kill you, bitch!" Taisuke raised and lengthened his claws above Kagome's head. He prepared to cut her down for humiliating him in front of his men.

"No, Kagome!" Amanei shrieked.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" a thunderous voice boomed from behind. All eyes averted to the cave entrance as a tall figure emerged from the curtain of the waterfall.

Kagome released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. It was Kouga. He came to her rescue yet again.

He always did.

She saw him heading towards them with Ginta and Hakkaku following closely behind. Taisuke's men cleared a path for their enraged alpha as all fell silent. He moved purposefully, not a shred of hesitation in his steps as he approached the wolf foolish enough to threaten his woman. One look at his Kagome lying on the floor and it was enough to have Kouga's blood raging. He was going to rip this demon apart.

She smiled and sighed in relief as Kouga approached but as he got closer, her eyes widened in shock. "K-Kouga?"

He was different; very different from the Kouga she knew too well. His loving ocean blue eyes had narrowed down to mere red slits. His fangs lengthened considerably and his hands were drawn into white knuckled fists. He took on a feral appearance and he no longer seemed like the demon she knew. It was just so foreign for her to see Kouga this way. Panic slowly rose in her chest. For the briefest moment she was...afraid. Afraid of Kouga. The frightening demonic look on his face reminded her so much of...

"Taisuke, you've crossed me for the last time!" Kouga snarled out in a voice that didn't sound like his own.

Taisuke quickly scrambled away from Kagome. "T-this human, she...she's your woman, Kouga?" he began shakily. Taisuke may have been the most fearsome beast hunter in the entire eastern tribe, but there was still one he feared more than anything and that was his alpha. He'd challenged Kouga's authority many times in the past, but had always been beaten down and humiliated for it. Today, he feared he would pay for his foolishness with his own life.

Kouga could feel his blood boiling as his snarls grew louder. "Don't play dumb with me! You _knew_ I had taken a human mate, who the fuck did you think she was!" He flexed his claws, ready to tear this worthless demon limb from limb.

Hachirou hurried to Kagome's side and pulled her away from the fight that was no doubt about to ensue. Amanei unconsciously gripped Kagome's hand as the entire pack now watched the battle that was soon to take place...or perhaps the execution. _'Kouga...'_

"I-I'm sorry Kouga, I had no idea!" Taisuke threw himself to the ground at Kouga's feet in submission. Kouga's lips curled up into a menacing growl. He stomped a foot onto Taisuke's head and drove his face into the dirt, smothering it deeper and deeper. He was going to enjoy making this sorry ass excuse for a demon suffer. That's then Taisuke took the opportunity to strike.

An excruciating pain shot up Kouga's thigh as fresh blood splattered to the cave floor. Kouga roared out in pain, frustrated that he had left himself open to such a cheap trick.

"Kouga, no!" Kagome gasped and fell to her knees in distress.

"Damn you to hell!" Kouga seethed.

Taisuke stood with a cocky smirk, proudly holding the dagger he had concealed in his furs. "Kouga, you are such a fool! Allowing yourself to be caught off guard like that! It's very unlike you. It seems this human has made you weak!" Taisuke growled. "It's time that a new leader took charge of this tribe and restores it back to its former glory! A _real_ demon like me. Not a pathetic one like you that shows pity and compassion to worthless humans!" he spat out venomously.

The wolf demon spat in front of Kouga, who was kneeling and holding his wound as the blood oozed between his fingers. "Honestly, now! What self respecting wolf demon would take a creature as lowly as a _human_ to mate? She is worth little more than a good fuck and a good meal!" Taisuke bellowed.

"What did you just say?! I'll kill you bastard!" Kouga roared as he leapt up with blinding speed and slashed Taisuke's throat with his claws.

The burly demon fell backwards, a gurgling lump of flesh, blood and fur. The wound Kouga inflicted was extremely deep, almost deep enough to have beheaded Taisuke completely. Kagome winced at the display of brutality and held little Amanei tightly to her chest, covering the child's eyes from the horror in front of them. Kouga looked down on the pathetic demon in disgust. It was one thing to insult his leadership, but to insult his woman? Kouga would rather die than to allow that to go unpunished! He scowled at the mere thought of Taisuke mentioning Kagome on his foul lips. That thought alone drove him to deliver a swift kick to the demon's side. More blood spewed from his mortal wound followed by gurgling noises. He was almost drowning on his own blood.

Kouga stomped on Taisuke's head, nearly crushing his skull. Then there were a few hard kicks to his back and sides until he heard bones cracking. Kouga wanted to drive his claws straight through the bastard's heart and be done with it, but he decided that a quick death would be too good a punishment for the likes of him. He deserved to suffer slowly. And to be shamed.

"Taisuke! You are exiled from my tribe. Get the hell out of my sight and out of _my_ territory! Don't you dare let me see or even _smell_ you near here again!" Kouga growled, fighting off the urge to finish off the disrespectful demon once and for all. Two men rushed to Taisuke's side and helped his mangled body off the cave floor. He barely managed to limp away, disgraced in front of what used to be his tribe yet again...and for the last time.

Kouga's anger still hadn't dissipated as he glared at the group of on looking wolf demons, his fangs bared dangerously. "Anyone else got something to say to me?!" But no one dared to challenge Kouga and the crowd quickly dispersed.

He finally turned around to look at Kagome and the two cubs and the rest of his anger melted instantly. Little Amanei was clutching tightly onto Kagome's shirt as she hid her face and cried quietly. Hachirou was shocked into silence, his eyes wide as saucers from what had just happened, and then there was Kagome.

She hadn't said a word to him, but instead gazed at him silently, and it was the look in her eyes that stirred him deeply. A strange feeling of what Kouga could only describe as guilt shot through his chest at the sight of her. Kagome looked at him as if she wanted to cry, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. Still, she said nothing.

But what he did was for all for her. That bastard insulted her so he was obligated to defend her...to protect her. It was just the wolf demon way, he didn't do anything wrong. He kept telling himself that over and over as he locked eyes with her.

'_Then why do I feel this way when you look at me like that, Kagome?'_

With a gulp, Kouga proceeded towards them. Hachirou carefully pried Amanei away from Kagome and guided her away from the pair. He was young, but wise enough to tell when adults needed privacy. Whispering reassuring words to her, he led her out of the cave. Kouga and Kagome were now completely alone in the wolf den. Time seemed to stand still between the two.

Kagome sat there, unsure of what to do. She had been so frightened to see Kouga that way. It reminded her too much of Inuyasha's inner demon. It was the side of him that her voice couldn't reach. The side of him that she'd always feared she would one day lose him to. Kouga carefully approached and stopped in front of Kagome. Kneeled down and craned his neck to see her when she avoided his gaze.

"Kagome, I need you to look at me."

She bit her lower lip, but didn't reply. Her gaze remained trained on the cave floor.

"Are you alright Kagome? Did he hurt you?" There was a certain tenderness in his voice now and it comforted her a bit. Kagome simply shook her head no.

"Kouga, I thought you...I thought.." she didn't dare finish her sentence, too afraid to even think it. Sure, Kouga wasn't a half demon like Inuyasha but if she remembered correctly, full fledged demons were still quite capable of going on rampages driven by blood lust. _'Kouga's a dear friend. I never want to see him like...Inuyasha was...'_

"Shhh...it's okay. Everything's okay now" he cooed as he gingerly helped her up and escorted her to the bed of hay near the rear of the cave. They sat in silence for awhile. Kouga didn't like that she had to see him like that, but she needed to understand that it was necessary. He wanted so much just to comfort her right now.

"You looked so different Kouga. I..I barely recognized you..."

He was taken aback by what she said. "Different? What do ya mean by that Kagome?"

"Kouga, why did you...I mean...you almost killed him" her voice was barely audible. It was her best guess that Kouga was pissed because Taisuke had challenged him for his leadership, but to nearly kill him?

'_Was she actually worried about what happened to that scum?'_

He searched for the right words to say. He wanted more than anything to make Kagome understand; he didn't want her to hate him. "It was something I just had to do Kagome. He insulted you and that was inexcusable. I had to protect your honour."

"Honour? Kouga you nearly killed a man for _honour_!?"

Kouga flinched at the anger in her tone. He definitely hadn't expected her to react this way. She was his woman and he was protecting her! Could he really be blamed for that?

"Kouga, honour...it...it just isn't worth the loss of life...don't you see?" tears now flowed freely from her eyes now and her voice cracked.

Kouga narrowed his eyes in frustration. "How can you be like that Kagome? If I hadn't shown up when I did, who knows what Taisuke would've done to you?! I could never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you!" he snapped.

He was about to say something else when he was cut off by a warm feeling surrounding him. Kagome threw her arms around Kouga's neck and cried openly into his left shoulder. Kouga's mouth hung agape before he finally came to his senses and wrapped his arms around the girl. He stroked small, reassuring circles into her back.

"Kagome..."

"Kouga you l-looked so much like...Inuyasha w-when he...whenever he..._changed_" she stammered out. He tensed at the mention of that half demon, but he listened closely nonetheless. _'My honour isn't worth losing a friend.'_

"I thought...that y-you were...that I...was going to lose you to that side...just like I-I...almost lost..."

'_Him.'_

Kouga didn't need her to finish that sentence to know where it was going. She was afraid that he would lose control of himself like the mutt did. Kouga did admit that he was extremely angry, but he would never lose himself to his demonic rage. Still though, he'd frightened Kagome, and he couldn't imagine what kind of a monster he must've looked to her. Didn't she know that he was better than that? That he had so much more self control than Inuyasha had, regardless of how angry he got?

'_So she was worried about me...She was actually...worried about me.'_

There was a small stirring in his heart at the thought of Kagome's concern for him and a serene warmth radiated throughout his body. "Don't you worry Kagome, that's never gonna happen. Not to me" he whispered and pulled her in even closer. He rested his chin atop her head and inhaled her scent as he spoke. "I'll never frighten you like that again Kagome, I promise you that."

...

Kouga sat cross legged atop a high mountain plateau and inhaled the crisp mid-afternoon air. A gentle breeze whisked passed him and played with several tendrils of his ebony hair. He gazed upon the woman he loved playing with the cubs of his tribe in the vast grassy field below. A soft smile graced his lips as the eager children showed Kagome how to play their favourite stick ball game. It seemed as though the incident in the cave was nothing more than a mere memory. She was so carefree and happy now.

He peered at the strange white linens she used to wrap the wound on his thigh with. After she composed herself back in the cave, she shot away from his embrace as though he had just burned her, much to his disappointment. She then realized the knife wound on his thigh where Taisuke pieced him earlier hadn't stopped bleeding. She called it a deep, serious wound though he didn't see what the big deal was. Kouga had insisted over and over again that it was nothing but Kagome wouldn't have any of that. She immediately dove into her bag and got her "first aid kit" as she called it, and dressed his wound.

He chuckled at the memory. He was no half demon and thanks to his demon blood, that flesh wound would be healed by nightfall but Kagome probably didn't know that. Kouga didn't mind it one bit though. He liked it when she fussed over him. But for now, he was just content watching her with the cubs.

Two sets of footsteps could be heard behind him but Kouga didn't need to turn around to know who they belonged to. Hakkaku and Ginta approached Kouga on the plateau along with five other regular wolves. He didn't bother to turn around to address the two.

"Uh, Kouga?" Ginta began nervously. "We're ready to leave when you are."

When there was no response, the two looked at each other questioningly before deciding to carefully approach their leader. He was gazing off into the distance while absentmindedly fumbling with a small pebble. Then they realized what held Kouga's attention as they saw Kagome out in the field being tackled by a bunch of excited cubs. They both smiled, seeing the soft, content look in their leader's eyes.

"You know Kouga, a few of the others said that those kids played with Kagome in the den the entire time." Hakkaku said.

"Yeah, they say she was perfect with them. The kids fell in love with her right off the bat" Ginta agreed.

Kouga simply grinned, enjoying the sound of Kagome's light-hearted laughter down below.

"That's my woman."

**...**

**Whooo! I really hope you guys enjoyed this one, things are really starting to pick up! Please remember to review and let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! (:**


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